Rose Daniels has put up with her abusive husband for fourteen years, despite the things he has done to her, which are too disturbing to mention here. Until one day, when she realises she will not survive if she stays, and decides to sneak out and take a bus to a city 800 miles away. With her freedom, she adopts her maiden name: Rosie McClendon. Initially scared because of her lack of experience in worldly matters, the readers watch her slowly become braver and more independent, rooting for her at every success. But there is one very scary caveat: she is never really free from Norman. He is not just going to let her go. He is a shrewd and talented cop, and unfortunately for Rosie, he will use his talents and abuse his power to do everything he physically can to track Rosie down. And when he has found her, he is going to talk to her. Up close.
Of course, what is a Stephen King book without supernatural aspects? The book goes in a direction I wouldn't have expected, but it is entirely credible and leaves me completely in awe of Stephen King's imagination. While saying more wouldn't exactly be giving a spoiler, I would like to leave the element of surprise untainted for anyone who does decide to read this book.
Throughout the book, readers will end up anxiously watching Norman get closer and closer to Rosie. Stephen King's style in this book is one of cat-and-mouse, or should I say mouse-and-cat? The narrative style here is a sort-of third person omniscient; he only sticks to one character's thoughts in each chapter, switching between Rosie and Norman. The way the author can equally do justice to two such different perspectives is both scary and brilliant. Overall, it feels like he is subtly on Rosie's side, but when he gets into Norman's mind, he effortlessly sells Norman's violent predisposition.
Norman is very talented in some aspects of being a cop. His ability to think like the person he is trying to arrest makes him very successful at his job. Even then, he isn't really good at being a cop. This is because he has no sense of right and wrong, and no conscience whatsoever. He successfully busts a drug ring, but he also brutally murders good people casually. Even with petty criminals, he uses a lot more force than is necessary or would be approved of. Judging by the names he calls her in his mind, and the way he thinks about her, it is evident that he doesn't love Rosie. In fact, he doesn't have a good word to say about anyone he thinks about. He murders people in a way which is unconventional, but much more disturbing and graphic than conventional murders. Norman is, although figuratively, a monster, and several times during the book, I found myself wondering what made him like this. About this, Stephen King drops information here and there in single sentences. These sentences say a lot, but they are so subtle that a less careful reader might miss them. A lot of Stephen King's books are long, but he does not waste words.
Although Norman is cruel, the author shows most other characters in the book as good people, although they may be imperfect. This serves two purposes: it makes Norman's character stand out more starkly, and while monsters like this do exist, this book is not a cynical one that leaves readers without hope at the end. It also brings out Stephen King's nuanced understanding of human nature. All the characters are very well developed. Although Rosie is the main character, it was Norman who really grabbed my attention, and is the main focus of this review. If I were to cover all the themes of this book, I'd have to write a book about it myself.
Norman is hard to understand; he is cold and calculating and usually covers his tracks, but when it comes to finding Rosie, he eventually becomes desperate and more and more careless. It becomes evident over time that Norman isn't sane, and it is hard to understand why he thinks the way he does. But at the same time, like I said earlier, we have an inkling of why he is the way he is. While we cannot justify his actions, we can and yet cannot understand him at the same time, which is very clever on Stephen King's part.
After reading a few Stephen King books, I am starting to realise that at least some of them are interconnected in a larger universe. For example, the book mentions the concept of 'ka', which is a much more important theme in 'Insomnia'. Quite a few of his books feature domestic violence, and while it probably does not signify anything, I find this pattern slightly concerning.
This book is extremely well-written, focusing on the darker side of human nature, and ultimate justice. The book is worth reading for its suspense; as readers, we kind of already know what is going to happen, but we will be reading fearfully through our fingers anyway. If you like reading thrillers and horror, I would recommend this book. But if you can't stomach crude (although not gratuitous) profanities and extremely gory and sickening descriptions, I would suggest that you look for another book to read.
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