Review: Zombie

Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love serial killer stories. Love them. With crazy, passionate love.

This was a strange book for me, probably because it wasn't a thriller. What it seemed to be was a flat-narrative, just this weird monotone. I understand what the author was trying to do I think. I used to be fascinated by Antisocial Personality Disorder and that's one of the characteristics, this flat-affect.

But it was weirdly disappointing to me. Earlier this year I read the graphic novel My Friend Dahmer and I loved it. One of the things that had impressed me about Dahmer in general was his attempt to numb out his urges in high school by getting shit-faced drunk. It was moving somehow. Depressing in the fact that those necrophiliac urges had been there almost since infancy and seemed to leave no room for the hope he could ever have a normal life. But it was also heart-warming in a way; he fought those urges, lost in the end, but he put up a fight. So few of the serial killers out there even try to fight.

I think I carried this preconception into reading this book and that's why I found the flat remorselessness not to my liking. I was hoping for a bit more struggle in the story but it ended up being a completely different thing.

Still, the straightforward lack of emotion was chilling. It is certainly a very accurate portrayal of a sociopath, or at least what I think a sociopath is.

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Review: Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I came to Stephen King late in life. Of course I'd watched the Shining movie when I was a teenager but until recently I had only vaguely considered reading the novel it was based on. And then Doctor Sleep came out...

I thought it was such a bold move! So ballsy! Go King! Taking one of the stories that had cemented him as a writer and continuing it after so many years. I was in awe. So I got a copy of The Shining and decided I needed to read it all and then check out the new book.

I was disappointed, but I also seriously loved the the book.

When I read the summary I was a bit put off that Dany had somehow ended up living a shitty life after what he had survived at the Overlook. I felt cheated. But when I actually read the book it made so much sense to me. I loved that you had to start the novel with Dany at his lowest so that you could watch him get better, get sober, get happy. It made his struggle with the Overlook's memories and his powers very real to me. I love stories about prodigy kids all grown up and in that sense, Doctor Sleep was just perfect.

I loved Abra too, I loved her plot twist origin and her connection with Dany. I loved the echos she had of Jack's personality in stark contrast to how much more peaceful Dany was. She was fierce and young and I thought I was going to hate her but I loved her.

My big problem with the book were the antagonists. The True Knot were built up so much. Their history was fascinating, their personalities varied and very interesting. The threat they posed was palpable. I loved the menace! And then... it just didn't deliver. The story resolved itself so quickly. abra and Dany had just too much support everywhere and managed the antagonists with actually very little trouble. No one died, no one suffered much. Abra wasn't even in danger for that long. With such a powerful build up in the end the antagonists just fell flat. I had no sense of large stakes when they were taken down. It felt like just a formality.

I still had plenty of fun with the book though and don't regret having taken the time to read it or The Shining. And I still think it was a badass thing for King to do, to write a sequel after so many years and so much praise for his story.

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