THE OUTSIDER by Stephen King ⭐⭐⭐

(Original review written January 22, 2020)

This has the usual Stephen King formula for a heeby-jeeby heart-stopper, but just comes up short as a classic for me. This seemed like a no-brainer hit when I started:

- murder mystery

- horror capabilities, which generally he nails

- creep factor fo sho

- HBO series on the way

The premise and characters are there and calling you in, but unfolding the truth could really use a dial turn to 1.5x speed. As I was reading I’d be thinking “I’m into it, but why don’t I really care?” I think its because the plot functions just a layer above predictability, and if you have any imagination for the supernatural, you can probably guess the plot before reading the first chapter.

Some of King’s superpowers shine through at certain moments, namely when he covers heartbreak in the form of a family (or maybe families) dissolving, or when close calls with “the outsider” sneak up all of a sudden and make you read with the light on. He can switch the vibe on a dime and really puts the heat on when he switches to the eerie stuff. God, he’s frighteningly good at that.

This is definitely a King tome to get to at some point, and while it may be a good time now that the show is out, there are more important reads than this that should be experienced first.