Review: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

In my eyes, this book excels in all fields; a great plot, wonderfully written characters, and a unique and expressive writing style that I'm insanely jealous of. A lot of books I've read usually fall short in the last category: they can have an awesome plot, have interesting characters, but when it comes to the writing style, it's bland, it's boring, and it's something every reader has seen before. With this novel, however, the writing style is focused on just as much as the plot or the characters. If I was asked what my favorite aspect of this book was, I'd have to respond with "Well, the writing style, obviously.". The way King incorporates Paul's thoughts in a vast amount, compared to how other authors may shy away from doing so, creates a whole new perspective on the character. I really felt myself get into Paul's mindset, and that's a really wonderful thing for a reader to experience. I also thoroughly enjoyed just how real the characters felt. King's portrayal of Annie Wilkes and her destroyed sanity is frightening yet endearing: Annie's craziness feels real enough that I could envision her mugshot being aired on a news channel, asking for her whereabouts. In addition, Paul is a character the reader gets to see break down over time. Seeing Paul's collapse into addiction and hopelessness feels very real, and it's great to see a male character written with emotions instead of just being another basic, macho-man hero. All in all, this five-star rating is earned.