Andrea Thompson
REVIEW
The Outsider, Stephen King
Reviewed By
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Our beloved Uncle Stevie always has many wise things to share with us, his constant readers, and continues to faithfully inserts these pearls into the storytelling matrix of each new novel. Sometimes they may be bashed directly into your psyche and at other times they may merely brush against you in passing but at whatever level of introduction, there will always be a direct appeal to his reader’s hearts at some point. King writes ‘everyman’ like no other.
King has an inexhaustible supply of wry observations to dole out via the mouths of his creations and you will find plenty of these in THE OUTSIDER. This is a classic King piece and whilst wildly entertaining, could have done with a trim to reduce some ‘waffle’. King’s skill at spinning out his fantastical yarns always involves a lot of inclusions that don’t necessarily advance the plot but will have us smiling anyway.
How are with the science on this ‘woo-woo’ stuff in THE OUTSIDER? Not entirely sold. This is primarily written as a crime novel and the introduction of supernatural elements is always a handy out to logic, if there arises the need to explain something away. But we need to remember we are reading Stephen King, so that usually comes with the territory.
There’s a nice surprise awaiting King fans in THE OUTSIDER. For those readers lamenting the end of the Bill Hodges trilogy, fear not. THE OUTSIDER will catch you up with what’s been happening with one of your favourite King characters.
This review is written by a fan who can be critical of her favourite authors, including King, and can state hands down that THE OUTSIDER, with all its dark magic and violence, is a delight to read. Pure escapism written by the world’s greatest living author is never a waste of your time and THE OUTSIDER slides on up alongside the reader with a knowing smile and wink. Uncle Stevie knows what we need, once again.
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Life has definitely become predictable for Terry Maitland and there’s a certain level of comfort in that for the small town sports coach. Having the trust of his friends, neighbours and colleagues is no small thing and staying put to support his community in a time of trouble would always be what Terry would choose to do. Being arrested in front of the entire town at a game is only the beginning of Terry’s nightmarish fall from grace. The murder of an eleven year old boy is a hard thing for Flint City to endure, let alone to find out that the chief suspect is one of their most beloved residents. That level of betrayal unleashes a corresponding level of hate from the town towards Terry Maitland and his family.
With so much DNA evidence having been found on the body of the child, Detective Ralph Anderson is convinced that they have locked up the right man. Maitland however was at an industry conference on the day of the murder and has many alibis to attest to his attendance. How can one man have been in two places at the same time?
Life has definitely become predictable for Terry Maitland and there’s a certain level of comfort in that for the small town sports coach. Having the trust of his friends, neighbours and colleagues is no small thing and staying put to support his community in a time of trouble would always be what Terry would choose to do. Being arrested in front of the entire town at a game is only the beginning of Terry’s nightmarish fall from grace. The murder of an eleven year old boy is a hard thing for Flint City to endure, let alone to find out that the chief suspect is one of their most beloved residents. That level of betrayal unleashes a corresponding level of hate from the town towards Terry Maitland and his family.
With so much DNA evidence having been found on the body of the child, Detective Ralph Anderson is convinced that they have locked up the right man. Maitland however was at an industry conference on the day of the murder and has many alibis to attest to his attendance. How can one man have been in two places at the same time?
| Review | The Outsider, Stephen King | Andrea Thompson
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Saturday, August 4, 2018 |