Book Nook: Stephen King Still Remains the Horror King

Kelsy Brown

Staff Writer

With the fall breeze beginning to crisp, it is the perfect time to read a good murder mystery… or should I say murder car mystery? “Christine” by Stephen King is the perfect fit if you are looking for a book where you will not guess what is going to happen in the next chapter.

This novel follows Arnie Cunningham, a high school student who buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury from Roland LeBay who has named the car “Christine”. When buying “Christine”, Arnie is joined by his best friend Dennis Guilder who is reluctant to let Arnie go through with buying the car. Despite Dennis’s worries, Arnie purchases “Christine” which sparks changes in every aspect of his life. One relationship affected was Arnie’s relationship with Leigh Cabot, a transfer to Arnie and Dennis’s high school, who soon became romantically involved with Arnie.

Arnie becomes extremely hyper-focused on fixing the rusted, beat up “Christine” that he begins to lose sight of the relationships in front of him including Leigh, Dennis, and his parents. Arnie is constantly in the garage working on “Christine” but oddly enough, Arnie does not remember restoring the car and transforming it into looking brand new. When murders begin to occur around the small town of Libertyville, Pennsylvania, the awful supernatural truth surrounding “Christine” begins to unfold.

This novel begins from the point of view of Dennis which provides such an interesting perspective of watching his best friend slowly become utterly obsessed with a car. This perspective drives the pathos of slowly losing a best friend and watching them change into a different person. When Dennis suffers an injury that puts him into the hospital, the point of view changes to Arnie. Through his point of view, it is really shown how obsessive he has become with the car and how he truly can not live without it.

With Arnie’s perspective the reader can truly see the effect “Christine” has on both his physical and mental health. The point of view then shifts to that of “Christine’s” revealing the truth behind the car’s murderous history. While this novel may be lengthy, I promise that it is worth the read.

The supernatural element that King provides completely immerses the reader in the novel. Throughout every chapter, I found myself staring at the pages just wondering, “why?” It made me never want to stop reading. The exploration of the themes of obsession and figuring out the teenage years makes this novel truly amazing. Stephen King is not known as the most famous writer of the horror genre for nothing. I invite you all to go for the ride that is reading “Christine!”