Review: Misery by Stephen King

Summary from Goodreads:

The #1 national bestseller about a famous novelist held hostage by his “number one fan” and suffering a frightening case of writer’s block—that could prove fatal. One of “Stephen King’s best…genuinely scary” (USA TODAY).

Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist who has finally met his number one fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes, and she is more than a rabid reader—she is Paul’s nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also furious that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book. Annie becomes his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.

Annie wants Paul to write a book that brings Misery back to life—just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an axe. And if they don’t work, she can get really nasty.


“Terrifying” (San Francisco Chronicle), “dazzlingly well-written” (The Indianapolis Star), and “truly gripping” (Publishers Weekly), Misery is “classic Stephen King...full of twists and turns and mounting suspense” (The Boston Globe).

My Review:


What I Liked:

Plot. I knew the general plot because of the film version from the 90s but I felt that the novel did a better job with the plot and had a lot of aspects I was not expecting. King always does a great job shocking his readers, making them have that gotta moment where they can't put down the novel, and he creates some of the best twists. 

Suspense/Frightening. The novel takes place in the same setting for the whole thing but that did not lesson the suspense/horror elements that King was able to weave. I could not help but see Annie as Kathy Bates because I watched the film first before reading the novel, the film was good and scary but I believe King's words and vivid descriptions made the novel ten times more frightening then the film. 

Characters. As always King did an amazing job crafting characters, Paul, our flawed hero, and Annie our demented villain. The novel had limited characters, mainly Paul and Annie but King fleshed them out so well that they were able to carry the plot and keep up the suspense. 

Writing. I struggled getting into Misery at the beginning but I kept reading because I love King's writing style. He is able to describe a scene in a unique and somewhat lyrical/detailed way that always makes me want to read more. 

What I Disliked:

I had difficulty with the beginning of the novel, it was not until the middle section that I got sucked into the tale. I'm not sure if it was the plot or pacing that kept me from getting engrossed in the twisted tale but it did happen after about 100 pages. 

Graphics. I did struggle to keep reading when some of the gruesome aspects of the tale started, I won't give it away but just be warned that sections near the end were hard to get through (nightmare stuff).

I recommend checking out this intense psychological horror if you enjoy King's writing or enjoyed the cinematic version. 

My Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars