The Outsider by Stephen King

If any author has earned the right to experiment, Stephen King has; and over the last few years, that is exactly what he has been doing. The Bill Hodges trilogy and Doctor Sleep are prime example of the legendary writer stepping away from his tried and tested formulas and having a little fun. I don’t think that I’ve seen such experimentation from King since his reality merging exploits in the closing entries of the Dark Tower series. What we have with The Outsider is a mish-mash of a detective story, a continuation of a previous character’s journey and the sort of supernatural mystery we’ve come to expect from the master of horror.

It Begins with an Open and Shut Case

The story begins with the arrest of Terry Maitland, a youth baseball coach and pillar of the community. Led by Detective Ralph Anderson, the arrest is made a public affair, and soon everyone knows about the gruesome murder of a local youth by Terry. What continues is a fast-paced, character hopping narrative, the story is told from multiple point-of-view characters and the occasional report or piece of documentation.

It Becomes So Much More

As you would expect from a Stephen King novel, things take a turn in The Outsider. What starts off as a police procedural turns into something more supernatural. Character roles and motivations are subverted, and relationships are strained.

The novel explores themes like hope, belief, trust and judgement. The overarching message is that we shouldn’t look at things with tunnel vision. King reminds the reader that we should look beyond the obvious and accept that when things don’t make sense; we can and should expand our scope. Not doing so, enables those who might exploit this blindness. Essentially, the monsters in the world don’t need to lie to us (though they do), especially when we are so willing to lie to ourselves. I can’t help but find this reflects the author’s publicly strong anti-Trump stance and looking at today’s political situation; I find it rings alarmingly true.

A Worthwhile Read

All-in-all, I enjoyed The Outsider a great deal. Stephen King has given us a work of heart, that combines his recent experimentation with real world views. Like all the best works of horror, it is a dark reflection on reality wrapped in a compelling story.

The Busy Papa

Also known as Aaron, The Busy Papa focuses on lifestyle, parenting and personal wellbeing content. He has two decades experience in creative writing (including several published poems) and strongly dislikes (though tolerates) tomatoes.