Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of King's Best Efforts
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
_Holly_ is one of the best stories Stephen King has churned out in at least the past 30 years. I bought it as soon as I learned of it, because I had fallen in love with the character of Holly Gibney via the Mr. Mercedes Trilogy. I was delighted to hear (on a podcast) that the author had done the same. He finally felt obligated to give the gal her own book.
And this is a book with real guts. Not many modern writers dare to focus their strongest opinions into their art. Whenever I would hear an uproar over something King "tweeted", or even something that J.K. Rowling posted on social media, that caused a different flavor of outrage, I would think: I love hearing their opinions, but that isn't the right format for people who have their incredible way with words. And while I had enjoyed some of King's recent books (especially _The Institute_ and his most recent short story collection, _The Bazaar of Bad Dreams_), I felt like he had fallen victim to the digital era, like basically all the rest of us, and lacked the heart and the grit that he had back in the 1980's or the 70's, when he got started and was still using a manual typewriter (and a lot of substances that I'm glad he left behind . . . simply because I'm glad he is still with us).
This novel proved me wrong, and I loved every minute of being thus put to shame. For one thing, it's a good horror story. Forget that Netflix special about Jeffrey Dahmer. This is the story of a couple of old fogeys who think cannibalism is the fountain of youth and the key to immortality. I don't care who you are, that's unsettling, right there.
It's also an interesting take on a detective novel, as we, the readers, are often privy to information that the detective Holly and the other major characters are oblivious to. There are some incredible moments of suspense because of that. I also enjoyed the format of the story, how it jumps from time frame to time frame so easily, and how those flashbacks and "jumps" work well, so that the story flows smoothly. I found this to be as much a page-turner as some classics I've recently been delving into by Richard Matheson and Cornell Woolrich.
For those who are often turned off by King’s tendency to overwrite, never fear: His new editor has no time for such nonsense. The writing here is concise and tight. And I enjoyed the change of pace. Even though I’m one of those twisted souls who loves his epic-length efforts. Where a lot of people see tangents, I see subtleties of story that other people could appreciate if they only had attention spans.
Moving right along . . .
The reason this book has been so controversial among Stephen King fans is what the author addresses in an afterword, how Holly Gibney's view of the coronavirus outbreak and associated politics happen to jibe with his. He protests that he was not soapboxing. Frankly, I don't give a damn if he was. Dean Koontz has had some definite "soapbox" moments in several of his novels, not only recently, but going back decades. And I don't hear a lot of bitching and moaning about that. In _The Other Emily_, Koontz reserved the most severe beating of the story for a relatively harmless character who was wearing a "RESIST" T-shirt. If he can promote conservative views with such a vengeance, then Stephen King has every bit as much right to promote his more liberal worldview through what he writes. It's not like he does it all the time, and actually, he has consciously tried to avoid it throughout his career. Even in a book like _The Green Mile_, he largely left the readers to think about the social issues he brought up for themselves.
I love the way King does it here, because it reminds me of some of the classic science fiction and horror, that did more than just provide a few cheap thrills. Once in a while, it served as a splash of cold water in the face that the world desperately needed. I think of Rod Serling's classic teleplay "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street." I'm not sure anyone before or since has lampooned the McCarthy scare as eloquently as that 30-minute story did. And someone really needed to write a book that did justice to what we all went through with "COVID." _Holly_ delivers on that.
And I say that even though I don't fully agree with all of Holly's (or King’s) views. I personally think one vaccine is enough for most people, and I'm skeptical as to whether they are necessary for children. My views are nuanced. But this is the first novel I've read that does justice to what this four-year ordeal felt like. There were times it truly was hellish, both the virus and the social issues that it exacerbated.
My favorite chapter of this book is also one that shook me to the bones. Just when I was feeling like a wimp, I found that the author's wife had to comfort him through the writing of it, as he mentions in the afterword. Let's just say that just as a pandemic virus has its human impacts, so do serial killers. This story is opposite in tone from the sensationalism of the Dahmer series from Netflix. It forces the reader to slow down and think about what it's like for the victims and their families.
Holly is quite a character, and I can see why she eventually had to have her own book. Some have said you should read all the others before reading this one, but I disagree. I read the Mr. Mercedes Trilogy a few years ago, and I did read _The Outsider_. But I still haven't read the story "If It Bleeds", which is referenced several times here. And after only a few months, I've forgotten the details of any "spoilers" that were included. I feel confident that when I get around to the Holly story I skipped, I will still thoroughly enjoy it.
King has said that Holly reminded him of Carrie from his debut novel, except that she was able to have some kind of a life despite dealing with the same sorts of issues. I partly agree with this. Though I did go into reading this novel during one of my more cynical frames of mind. And when I pondered how Holly still didn’t have a man in her life in her 50’s, and had to be content with drooling over hot guys from TV shows, I reflected that maybe Carrie White was the more reasonable of the two characters, going out in a blaze of glory.
The only spoiler I’ll give is a counterfeit one: Jerome and Hollyberry never hook up in this book. Sorry to spoil your day. But on a serious note, she is beloved by Jerome and just about everyone who knows her. And just like Sherlock Holmes had his vice of the cocaine bottle, I found it endearing how Holly can never quite manage to kick her cigarette habit. Even as she says nightly prayers for same.
Perhaps it takes a comically neurotic female detective to bring some humanity back to the forefront. Because even as I rolled my eyes at Holly’s habit of saying her prayers every night, I also loved her for her quirks and her sincere intentions. Even as I groaned in disbelief at Holly’s mother refusing to believe she had the coronavirus, saying that it was only the flu, I also felt the deep tragedy of it. After all, I knew someone who thought this virus was a total hoax until he got it; then, as he told me, he would never wish anyone to have to suffer through it. The last several years have often felt (speaking for myself) like petty cruelty and a complete lack of heart were the new normal. People get so caught up in righteous causes now (more like self-righteous causes) that they forget what makes life worth living in the first place. This book captured that theme in the culture beautifully, in the thinking behind these killers, and the extremes they go to. And as I say, it portrayed the pandemic and other social issues realistically. Show me another novel that has done as good a job, and I’ll be very impressed. That’s why my least favorite chapter of this book became my favorite, after I’d recovered from it. (I didn’t find this book an easy read. It wasn’t just a thriller or shocker, not at all, and a lot of the humanity it brought back, while valuable, was also painful.) It is a brief chapter with no fancy words, that describes a hellish situation with as much decency and tact as possible. And it will bring a tear to anyone’s eye – the good kind, the kind that heals. Bottom line, this is a book with guts and a book with heart. Read it if you dare to rediscover your own.
