Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King

Pages :  198

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 3.88/5

Review:  I was recently mocked by a good friend for reading this book (playfully, of course). Stephen King has no shortage of fans globally and a good majority of people begin their reading journey with his works. Carrie being a turning point in his writing career. I do admit, that after hearing so much about Carrie as a popular fictional character in the literary world and watching the really cool trailers and viral prank videos (the cafe one in particular) curiosity got the better of me. 
Pretty much everyone existing on Earth will know what Carrie is all about (unless you're living on another planet) and I will not repeat the mundane. The devices that Stephen King uses to narrate her story is quite clever. Some from people who knew her, victims, towns folk and news stories. Despite being one of the most mentioned books in the 'Horror' genre, It didn't really terrify me due to the lack of details, I personally felt. I'm downloading the movie as we speak and am half expecting the visuals to do all the talking. 
However, what did terrify me was Carrie's overtly religious and insanely cray-cray momma who.... I'm just going to say it..... is completely batshit mental. I'd probably run away if I was Carrie. Perhaps this was the entire trigger in the film that explains Carrie White's budding telekinetic powers. What I don't understand is, there wasn't a whole of scenes depicting her exercising this power. She has to do a mental flex and objects can be manipulated to move as her will. I wanted to see more of that. To a point where her skills did seem borderline terrifying instead of going all out with a surge of power. 
Why was Carrie White mocked at school so miserably? Was it just because of her awkward introvert nature or was it the fact that her mother was mad into religion? I wish there was a little bit more depth to that or the characters around her. When I say depth, I mean I would love to have a closer look at how evil Chris and the girls were, than seeing just a mean prank and the revenge that followed.
May be I have really grown out of this phase and it's quite likely that adolescent me would have been frightened enough. I have read other books by Stephen King and somewhere somehow he does fall short in his storytelling.
I did draw one conclusion that those who do commit heinous crimes actually might come from a background of bullying or ill-treatment or deep misunderstandings that leads to a build up of angst and anger. That's just a thought I had.

Final Rating : 2/5

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Book Review: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pardon me if my reviews seem to be on the shorter end lately. As we are already towards the end of August,  my commence toward the book challenge is at snails pace and I REALLY need to get on it.

Pages :  268

Read on : Paperback

Goodreads Rating : 3.34/5

Review: This book is not for everyone. In fact it's not for most people unless you are a literature major or something along those lines. The story follows the humiliation and sufferings of Hester Prynne in the 17th Century. Yup, it's pretty dated. Well-known in the literary world as a stand-out for it's strong outlook on the puritan society and a fair glimpse about what would happen to a woman, if she committed the most heinous crime ever, adultery.  

For a feminist, it's a piece of work that can't be dismissed. Hester Prynne is dis-owned by her towns folk and is branded with a scarlet letter 'A' embroidered on her chest, she's with child and refuses to name the man who she had relations with.  

Despite being a good natured and pious woman, the moment of weakness where she did indulge begins to define her life and starts affecting her child quite adversely. Innocent questions are being asked where Hester has no proper answer to and the townsmen are quick to point fingers at her.  

It took me a good while before I could get past the language. I haven't had much experience in grasping old english other than a few lessons in school and a failed attempt at reading Huckleberry Fin. You'll probably end up needing some references from SparkNotes or other reviewers who are more seasoned than I am. However, the honour element and will to carry out the punishment for as long as she could is commendable. The story did drag on for a good while, it also helped reflect on the burden of having the scarlet letter etched on her bosom. Her 'crime' was unforgivable even though several years had passed by. 

The main reason as to why people read The Scarlet Letter is to understand how progressive it was for something written in 1850. i'm not going to lie, the sole purpose for me to read the book was for that very reason. I didn't enjoy it as my other literary adventures but it was something that needed to be done. I did get bored in a lot of the parts and I guess that would be the reason why Hester's punishment felt endless. 

Not something I would recommend to anyone. I honestly read it just for educational purposes.

Final Rating : 3/5

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Splatter Days

Paintings by Mehreen Shaikh

Sometimes I just crave a blank canvas to spill out everything that's bottled up in me. Like a gush of paints and ink splatter. In no order or any sense, yet hoping you will read off your screens and nod your head,barely able to understand what I'm trying to say and still be able to say to me telepathically, 'Hey, it's okay, we all have our days'. Splatter days I want to call them.

    

It's like waiting, endlessly for something you have no idea about. Like waiting at a curb looking for cars to pass by or in a hospital corridor at 3 AM with just the breeze of doors being pushed around. You don't see anyone and it gets quiet again. You try to hear something familiar to you or something that holds a faint meaning. But instead, all you see is blank spaces. So blank, they make you feel all eerie inside. You see random people occasionally who've seen and dealt with the situation themselves or could be battling their own inner demons, handing you obscure advice. More splatter. You think you don't need that advice till one day it all begins to resonate. Can you still call it a painting if it isn't complete? Will it ever be complete?

I see mimes with all the upside down smiles, shaking their heads. No. They pat my head, trying to console me. There, There. They don't convey anything more than that. They can't. There is nothing left to be addressed. They know it's my journey and I'm on my own.

I take a few steps ahead in the name of moving on. For the sake of moving on. Let's try to collect more splatter - I can't help look back again and again as I go forth. I move ahead a few steps more till I can actually walk by myself..... steady.......steady.......I look back lesser now.......but I still look. Hoping the deeply missed splatter shade will bloom on my canvas some day.

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