Carrie

Carrie, Stephen King's electrifying debut novel, delves deep into the harrowing high school experience of Carrie White, an outcast teenager who discovers she holds a terrifying and powerful gift. This compelling narrative of despair and revenge established King as a master of horror and continues to grip readers with its intense and vividly depicted storyline.

At the core of Carrie is Carrie White herself. Bullied and ostracised at her high school, she yearns for acceptance and a sense of belonging. Her overprotective and fanatically religious mother exacerbates her misery, making her home life as tormenting as her time at school. Miraculously, Carrie discovers she possesses the gift of telekinesis – the ability to move objects with her mind.

The opportunity for social acceptance appears when she is unexpectedly invited to Prom Night by Tommy Ross, one of the more popular students. This invitation fills Carrie with hope, giving her a glimpse of happiness she has never experienced before. She believes this could be her moment to finally be a part of the normal teenage world she has long been excluded from.

However, Prom Night takes a gruesome and unthinkable turn. Humiliated and pushed to her breaking point, Carrie unleashes her telekinetic powers in a nightmarish display that will leave her high school and the entire town irrevocably transformed. Her once-suppressed rage and power explode with devastating consequences, marking a night that will be remembered in infamy.

With King’s signature blend of horror and emotional depth, Carrie exposes the dark edges of adolescence and the savage nature of social cruelty. This gripping and unsettling novel remains a poignant reminder of the destructive power of alienation and the latent abilities that can lie dormant within those who are pushed to the edge.