This definitely exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be solid commercial fiction, but I think it’s a lot more complex than expected, particularly in the nuance of characterization and symbolism, themes that work really well. The dialogue and prose are accessible and straight forward, but mostly is a higher degree of specificity with imagery that’s effective and evocative. I can see why this was such a hit, and is considered a modern classic by many.

I see it was written in the 70s, so the racism and prejudice make sense, especially coupled with the single-minded stupidity of hate. However, when the narrative focuses on the only black character, in his own mind or thinking, it really didn’t make sense to me, how he saw himself and referred to himself as an n-word sometimes. It felt like it was conflating other peoples’ views with his own in some moments. And it was just pretty saturated with that kind of content, oddly.

Otherwise, though, other than some uneven dialogue and prose every now and then, it was absolutely excellent and good writing. Might give the sequel a shot sometime. I don’t think it was enough to convert me into a King fan, but if a particularly book has a premise or conceit I really like, I’d probably pick it up on the future. I did this entire on audio, so that might have helped as well. It’s hard to get hung up on some craft when it’s narrated.