I have now read Misery for the second time and was once again very impressed, even though my perception has changed compared to my first read.

„Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now he’s writing to stay alive. Misery Chastain is dead. Paul Sheldon has just killed her – with relief, with joy. Misery made him rich; she was the heroine of a string of bestsellers. And now he wants to get on to some real writing. That’s when the car accident happens, and he wakes up splinted and in pain, in the remote mountain home of his rescuer, Annie Wilkes. The good news is that Annie was a nurse and has pain-killing drugs. The bad news is that she has long been Paul’s Number One Fan. And when she finds out what Paul has done to Misery, she doesn’t like it. She doesn’t like it at all.“

Blurb

Impressions from my first read (3 years ago):


The dust jacket claims that Misery is the best book Stephen King ever wrote. Back then I was convinced that it was at least among his top three. It was definitely a banger, a must read. I had seen the movie with Kathy Bates or at least I thought so. Today I am sure that I must have never seen more than the first half. Up to that point I found everything very good but rather “nothing new”. From the middle onwards the story gained enormous momentum and turned into a gigantic masterpiece full of terror, subtle cruelty, a hint of humor, a touch of claustrophobia and an incredible atmosphere. The brutality mostly stayed within limits and the focus was mainly on the feeling of captivity and “being at someone elses mercy”. Still, there are a few harsh scenes that could shock readers who are not used to horror. Back then I was sure: a must read for horror fans and especially for Stephen King fans.

Impressions from today:


On this reread I still enjoyed Kings writing style and I liked the book overall. However, this time it felt a bit too long in places and Pauls thoughts often drifted in strange or aimless directions. That is probably intentional because it reflects his imprisonment and mental state, but it was not always pleasant to read. The fear, the sense of being trapped and the quiet terror are still the novels greatest strengths. The few action packed scenes are incredibly effective and the ending was brilliant and gave me chills.

Conclusion:


Misery is still a great book and definitely one of Stephen Kings best. The first time it was a clear 5 star read for me, today it is more like 4 stars. Still absolutely worth reading, just not quite the perfection I felt back then.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️