Small wonder this classic launched King's career

It's hard to imagine a kid of 26 having the depth of experience in life, let alone writing, to pull off this masterwork. The young school teacher, laundry worker, and short story writer channels so many voices and captures so many portraits of small town high school life this first work feels like a documentary film as much as a horror story. Oddly, it strikes me that it could just as easily been labeled a science-fiction thriller as the framing of Carrie's talents are always wrapped in their biological and hormonal causation. As with all truly horrific stories, the real monsters are the normal people.