Eric Stone
This one was tricky for me. On one hand, it’s a great story with some wonderfully complex characters. I really liked Jamie, his family, and the whole cast of people in his orbit - especially during the "youth" chapters. King is at his best when he’s writing that specific kind of coming-of-age nostalgia, and I was fully on board for the first two-thirds of the book.
The issue for me was the payoff. People always cite Revival as having one of his darkest endings, and while it is definitely bleak, it didn't quite land for me. The notion that the afterlife just universally sucks didn't feel as heavy or as "bad" as a small community being forced to hand a child over to the devil, or a figure like the Dark Man always looming.
The Verdict: I didn't feel the sting of the ending as much as I wanted to, but the journey getting there was solid enough that I’ll probably try rereading it in a few years to see if it sits any better with me. For now, it’s a good book that just missed that final gut-punch.
This one was tricky for me. On one hand, it’s a great story with some wonderfully complex characters. I really liked Jamie, his family, and the whole cast of people in his orbit - especially during the "youth" chapters. King is at his best when he’s writing that specific kind of coming-of-age nostalgia, and I was fully on board for the first two-thirds of the book.
The issue for me was the payoff. People always cite Revival as having one of his darkest endings, and while it is definitely bleak, it didn't quite land for me. The notion that the afterlife just universally sucks didn't feel as heavy or as "bad" as a small community being forced to hand a child over to the devil, or a figure like the Dark Man always looming.
The Verdict: I didn't feel the sting of the ending as much as I wanted to, but the journey getting there was solid enough that I’ll probably try rereading it in a few years to see if it sits any better with me. For now, it’s a good book that just missed that final gut-punch.