A spiritual successor to It, and a Dark Tower novel in all but name, this meditation on time, ageing, free will and predestination is one of King’s true masterpieces
In the 1990s, 29 novels into his career, King could do whatever he wanted. His most famous books had been turned into films, he’d had more bestsellers than anybody could hope to dream of, and he’d taken a short hiatus in which he overcame his addictions. He could have followed the publishing dictum “write what sells”, churned out sequels or revisited themes and ideas. The world was hankering (then, as now) for more Pennywise. Instead? In The Dark Half we got a book that bordered on the metafictional, followed by two novels, Gerald’s Game and Dolores Claiborne, that showcased King’s desire to represent female characters better.
Then, in 1994, he unleashed Insomnia on the world. I remember buying this one, as with so many King novels, at the airport right before a holiday. I cradled the thing for the whole journey: I didn’t have much choice, as it was so big it wouldn’t fit into my backpack. And I was excited! Even though Gerald’s Game and Dolores Claiborne had left me a little cold, this – according to the blurb on the back of the book – was a return to King’s more conventional horror writing.
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