Full Dark Journal 3: Big Driver Mid-Read Confusion



STOP
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If you haven't read Big Driver, don't read this. This is not a synopsis, but I will discuss things in the book that will spoil it for you if you haven't read. If you have read the story, press on!
.You know, don't you. . . the stand was the greatest novel ever written.
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Some Mid-Read Confusion. . .
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I've been listening to Big Driver. It's an interesting listen, because the reader is very naturally charming. But the story is very dark.
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I am finding this to be a difficult read. Namely because Tess constantly makes decisions that seem unreasonable. They're not what... anyone... would do in that situation. But more than that, she makes conclusions that don't make sense. and then, her irrational hunches turn out to be spot on. It's like that Mel Gibson movie -- what if sometimes the crazy peopl are right?
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Tess is a difficult character to identify with. Mainly because of her very strange decision making process. But she is also difficult because she talks to things, and hears them answer. I have not read the ending yet, but I'm starting to wonder if all this is taking place in her head. She talks to Tom (a GPS) and her cat. And both talk back!
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Another difficult thing for this story is the believability of the "bad guys." Why would a Liberian feed her rapist / serial killer son fresh victims? And why would she choose a popular author? Don't serial killers usually choose people who are easily overlooked? Prostitutes, homeless people and so on.
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I didn't understand the process by which Tess came to the conclusion that the Librarian was feeding her son victims (other than her giving Tess directions).
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Every story has to deal with the: "Why not just go to the police?" I just saw that on a TCM documentary. The idea here is that Tess will not go to the police because she doesn't want her reputation to be tarnished. So instead... she opts for a very nasty revenge.
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Am I the only one scratching my head here? I love King's writing, and plotting. . . but sometimes I'm left a little confused. How did we get here? How was that conclusion drawn?

2 comments:

  1. I think if I was listening to the audiobook certain aspects of the novella (Tess talking as a mouthpiece for her GPS etc), might seem eccentric. But looking at the prose I didn't get that feeling at all and King made it plausible, if not outright hilarious in places.

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  2. I just read Big Driver last night. I think making the connection between Ramona and her son is a natural one for someone who is paranoid and in shock after having gone through such a terrible experience.

    I suppose one would be distrustful even of old friends after that. Being Little Driver's mother plus having made her take that alternate road marked Ramona as guilty. Heck, even sending her on that road marked her as guilty back when Tess did not know who had left the wood there and she needed to curse at someone's name.

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