Welcome. I am experimenting this year with writing more fiction reviews. Believe it or not, I read more fiction than non-fiction, but was hesitant to post reviews of these. This is a new approach, so bear with me if the first few don’t quite land. Today, I’m reviewing Misery by Stephen King, a psychological horror novel.
At its core, here is the story. Paul Sheldon, a successful author known for his romance novels featuring the character, Misery Chastain, gets into an accident in a snowstorm. He is rescued by Annie Wilkes, a retired nurse and his self-proclaimed ‘number one’ fan. However, he soon realizes that Annie’s care comes with a far darker turn; he is kept captive in isolation in a remote farmhouse.
Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors in the modern era. More importantly, he is deemed the king of horror. In this novel, he just lets his craft speak. I am still in awe at how he can deliver an entire novel of 450-500 pages set almost entirely within one setting. A farmhouse, or more specifically, a bedroom in a farmhouse. It’s extraordinarily difficult to keep readers engaged for that long in a single, seemingly mundane setting like that.
The other side of this coin is character work. King’s character work in this novel is unparalleled by any I’ve read before. By chapter 5, you begin to empathize with Paul Sheldon. He feels uncomfortably real, and you begin to share his dread when Annie Wilkes walks into the room. Strangely, you also begin to become interested in the story Sheldon writes in the novel, as per Annie’s demands. You’re sucked into the world, and you just never come out.
However, none of this compares to Annie Wilke’s portrayal. She is easily the scariest villain I’ve read to date. King’s approach here is also interesting. Without stepping too far into spoilers, I will tell you that Annie Wilkes is shown to be psychologically unstable, marked by violent mood swings. It is just one of the most unsettling visualizations of an extreme case of mood swings in a socially isolated environment (which makes it all the more dangerous). It is not an evil grin or a death stare that sends a chill down your spine. It is the emotionless, unreadable face, the face that reveals none of its secrets. The face from which you cannot determine if she’s coming to apologize to you or to kill you. I’m certainly doing the book no justice, so please do go read to understand what I mean. After a few episodes of her walking in, you begin to cover your eyes every time the door opens and the stairs creak, praying nothing wrong happens to Paul Sheldon.
Now, I am obliged to give you a few fair warnings. Two particular scenes are particularly disturbing and graphic, so if that is not something you handle well, do skip those scenes. I don’t think you should avoid the book; it is an excellent analysis of the human condition in an extreme circumstance. It is also proof that horror doesn’t have to be supernatural; humans can make the cruelest villains.
It was one of my favorite reads of 2025, and if you’re looking for a book to read, you won’t go wrong with Misery. Signing off for now.
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