Let me say, I never once regretted it.
Before I begin, I want to tell you something. One of my favorite parts of this book did not actually take place in the real book. You see, Stephen King wrote an introduction to this book and, while I rarely actually read introductions, it was eye-opening. He spoke about how much he loved having his alias. He imagined a whole life for Richard Bachman, living on a farm with a loving wife. But then, when the media revealed that Bachman was King, he died. King wrote of a longing for his old alias, just as one would mourn a lost friend. It was a heartbreaking introduction that was also incredibly sweet, but it also got me thinking about the differences between King's writing and Bachman's writing. The truth is, their styles aren't very different, but King is more restrained by his fame, and Bachman has the freedom that comes with a smaller audience and fewer critiques. I love King, but his books are more mainstream horror, and Bachman is more literary. His plots may not be as flashy and quick as It, Carrie, or The Shining, but he makes up for this immensely by writing something that will certainly be hailed as literature, something that will withstand the ages because it is so incredibly deep and fulfilling. God dammit, this book will change the way you see the world! It's AMAZING!
Every year, 100 boys apply to be in a walking competition. The premise of this competition is simply: walk for as long as you can, and try to out walk the other 99 boys. Each boy gets 3 warnings, and warnings can be given for stopping or walking slower than 4 miles per hour. After a boy is given his third warning, he is shot and killed. The only way to win is to survive the longest.
This book takes place in a dystopian society, but King (Or rather, Bachman) doesn't outright tell the reader any real facts. Slowly, and mostly by reading in between the lines, the reader comes to understand that the US government (which now has 51 states) is ruled by a man named Major. The military seems to be controlled and any attempt to say anything bad about the Long Walk or the government in general leads to you getting "squadded," which is basically taken hostage by the government and (presumably) killed. I actually really love the way King/Bachman builds this world in such a subtle way, because it reads less like the Hunger Games (don't get me wrong, I love dystopian fiction) and more like actual literature.
The main character in this book is a boy named Ray Garraty. Garraty is 16 years old, and his father was squadded. His mom is old and seems feeble, but is only really mentioned twice. Garraty has a girlfriend, Jen. Garraty has no real stated motivation to be on this walk, but somehow this doesn't detract from the novel. On the other hand, it adds so much more to the story. By withholding (or just straight up not having) his motivation for undertaking such a serious and deadly, the real reason for the walk is revealed. This book is highly existential, and Garraty begins to realize that he is not in this walk for any reason at all. He has no reason to continue, except to escape death, which creates an existentialist outlook that is highly reminiscent of Albert Camus' The Stranger. It has the same strange detached horror that follows death, the same oddly disconnected character who is surrounded by death, and the same lack of ambition or drive characteristic of existentialism. This work is truly masterful because, unlike Camus' The Stranger, it is a more more interesting read. Garraty begins as a somewhat normal person, someone who is afraid of death and who is horrified by death, but this walk morphs him into an aimless person who is merely escaping death and walking only because there are no other options. Walking despite the prize of the fulfillment of any wish, as opposed to walking towards it.
I also love how Bachman (and also King) have characters that, at times, almost seem very mature, as if they were adults, but then they use phrases like "low-key" (yeah, I think King invented the phrase Low-key, so that's pretty lit) or "whore," and suddenly you realize (with horror) that these are just KIDS! Ugh, it's so well done! And don't even get me started on Stebbins! He is this enigma of a character, highly reminiscent of Tiresias in Oedipus Rex. He seems to know exactly what is happening and why. He knows the truth, he IS the truth, but slowly even this was worn away. By the end of the walk, he is just another pathetic, meaningless kid. It's heartbreaking, but it couldn't have happened any other way.
Finally, the conclusion. Now, I won't spoil what actually happens (oh, boo-hoo. Quit crying and read the book XD), but I will tell you that, at first, I was not satisfied. It bothered me. It felt... undone, like a rope that is well-made, but frayed at the edges. But then, over time, I began to realize that there is no other way this book could've ended, even if Bachman had wanted it to change or be brighter. No, the ending had to be like this. It was perfect. Existentialistic, but perfect.
Okay, okay, I've talked long enough! Why don't I tell you the rating?
I rated this book:
One delicious, whole, fresh-out-of-the-oven, fire-roasted personal pizza. Yup, that's right, that whole damn pizza is just for you. This book is as good as this super delicious pizza probably was. That's how you know it's super good. Seriously, this is a MUST READ! If you love books, you oughta read this one because, holy cow! it's amazing!!!!!
Alright, that's all for this week. I'll see you next Wednesday when I review some TBD book!
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