Christine. La macchina infernale (1983)

Wow, I am so glad I read this book. I saw the movie once years ago but for the most part do not like the movies based on his books. I really liked this book. It definitely was a page turner and kept me awake here at work. ( )

Even those who are not Stephen King fans most likely know the story of Christine. The name is synonymous with a possessed evil car. Yet, like all of Stephen King’s books made into movies, the movie leaves out SO much. In this case, I believe the movie does the original story a disservice because it is so much more than a possessed car running rampant. There are nuances to it that help flesh out the story so that it makes sense. These details also add a layer of tragedy to everything, which also enhances the story.

Audio is most definitely the way to go if you want to read the book. Holter Graham is absolutely fabulous as narrator. The way he adapts his voice as Arnie changes is thoroughly chilling. While the story itself may not be all that scary, Mr. Graham’s narration ups the creep factor by ten. ( )

Another of King's books I haven't read in 35 years. I remember this one distinctly. I remember buying it, coming home, parking myself in my bedroom and reading the entire thing in one sitting, pausing only when I needed to eat or bio break. And I remember being completely enchanted with it.

I was Arnie. I was the smart nerd. And I was the same age as him. So, at the time, I completely bought into him and loved Dennis for his love and loyalty. And then there was Leigh...damn.

Anyway, 35 years later, I see this as the first crack in King's near-perfect run up to now. As others have noted, I can only blame the mystifying switch of narrative voice in the second section on King's addictions and the fact that, I'm guessing by now, the editors began to take a hands off approach to his work, as this is also the point where the bloat sets in and his books get a little longer than they should be.

And then there's the addiction. Let's talk about that, because it became very very obvious to me that, whether intentional or not, this is the book where King truly begins to wrestle with his addictions.

Arnie is a smart kid, a good kid, constantly living up to his parents' --and society's--expectations. Things aren't perfect, but things aren't bad. Then he finds Christine, the embodiment of King's drugs of choice, and he slowly succumbs.

At first, things aren't bad. Arnie/King begin to look better, they begin to stand up for themselves, they get noticed by the girl, and they also stand up to the rules of society, bending them a bit in their favour.

But then, people begin noticing the cracks. Some spin control, some lying and some self-delusion needs to be applied. Then things become even more desperate as situations begin to veer into the unethical and slightly shady.

But along the way, some of those assholes that made their life hell get pushed aside. That's good, right? But they begin to realize they're losing control. Losing their family.

And then, in the end, the addiction seems to be all they have. And even more interesting, when the bad shit goes down, the Arnie/King persona is actually shunted to the sidelines. They aren't even there.

And when they do try and fight it, the engine just won't die.

This book is ALL about the addiction. And for that, it gains points, just for the heartbreaking sincerity. Where it loses points is through the middle, when the bad shit begins to go down. King drew heavily--too heavily--on the 1950s EC comics that tended to focus heavily on gruesome revenge. That, to me, was where the story lost some of its steam and lustre.

But the end. The end was a glorious. Loved it.

Of course, this is also a terrifyingly prescient look at the accident that would sideline King and almost kill him in 1999. I believe that one was also all on account of a dog... hmmm.... ( )

4.25* ( )

Lonely boy, picked on in high school, controlled by parents.

Arnie finds love, acceptance, and power with his new car. He is also protected by this cursed car.

I like the story, but it just didn't grab me the way it did years ago. It seemed to drag along for too long and was very repetitive for the first half of the book. But once Christine got rolling and the action really began, it was great. ( )