Christine Journal 8: CarNage


The death count continue as I finish the second "part" of Christine. At the end of part 2 the narration returns to first person. Once again, I am saddened at the transition. It was tough saying goodbye to Dennis, but I got used to King's voice as he narrated the story. It was truly gruesome at points.
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There is one scene in which a prominent character (a not so nice guy) is safe and sound in his house. Outside he spots Christine. Never a good sign! And, as with previous murders, Arnie isn't driving. Sometimes victims see a corpse driving. In one case, the car was full of people Christine had killed! Most often, she's just empty.
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In this scene, our friend spots Christine out on his lawn. But he's safe and sound in his own home, right? Wrong! I thought this was brilliant. Because King went where we feel safe and invaded the safety with his haunted car. Christine blasts a hole right through the house. I like it, I like it a lot!
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The police work in Christine seems amateurish. Of course, I'm not a cop, so I really have no clue. But the way they go at this case is nuts!
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Christine's ability to regenerate after an attack is awesome. I mean, it makes her crimes very difficult to trace. Obviously it is helpful when she is in serious attack mode. She goes to war for a while, then backs out, recovers (it's like catching her breath) and then finishes the job.
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I do wonder why this book is not more popular with King readers. Does King pull off the haunted car motif? Yes, like only he can.
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The Writing:
Always impressed that this book is just pure horror. Here's a wonderful paragraph:
Leaning out of the window no less then six inches from his own face, was a rotting corpse. Its eyes were wide, empty sockets, its mummified lips were drawn back from a few yellowed leaning teeth. One hand lay whitely on the steering wheel. The other, clicking horridly, reached out to touch him.
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The dead thing beckoned him, grinning, and the car's engine suddenly screamed, piling up revs.
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"Catch yourself a drink, asshole," another voice whispered hoarsely, and Buddy Repperton leaned forward in the back seat, extending a bottle of Texas Driver toward Don. Worms spilled and squirmed through his grin. Beetles crawled in what remained of his hair.
sigh.
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The Fury roared across the living room, knocking Will's La-Z-Boy armchair onto its side, where it lay like a dead pony.
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Revised DEATH COUNT: 8
1 by Suicide.
1 by choking.
1 by running over. (3x forward, 3x backward. Nice job, Christine.)
5 more by auto.
--attempted murder: 1 by choking. Creepy!

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