The Outsider

A new Stephen King book will always hold excitement for me. I've been reading him practically my whole life, and my mother read him as well. I'd probably embarrass myself if I ever met him.

I enjoyed this book. The thriller/chiller stuff was pretty late on the scene. King take time to explore the central mystery of how a man could be in two places at once, each conclusively, long before the bad guy makes an appearance.

I'm not going to say the story wasn't at all about the outsider, but I will say that King seems to be more interested in the good – but flawed – characters dealing with issues of morality and belief. How do you clear your conscience when you feel in part responsible for the destroyed reputation of a man who might very well be innocent? How do you find the courage to do the right thing if the right thing is dangerous? How do you pick up the pieces after a sudden loss or multiple losses? How do you learn to forgive? How do you balance being a person with logical, organized mind while also allowing yourself to make room for a belief in the seemingly impossible?

A very beloved character from the Bill Hodges trilogy makes an appearance here, so if you're interested in Mr. Mercedes (and the two related books) you really ought to read those first or else you will encounter significant spoilers. I was very glad to see this character, though, and felt they added something very important to The Outsider.

Check out the wink and a nod to Mr. King's well known disregard for the Kubrick The Shining movie! Also, anyone who knows the author's politics won't be surprised to know there are a handful of comments about the state of our country today – not tons of mentions, technically, but they're there.