Anais' Annotations: "Misery" by Stephen King

During the recent January snow day, many people were concerned the road conditions would cause car accidents-- kind of like the one that sets off the events of Stephen King’s “Misery” (1987).  

When considering the possibility of road issues with the weather, most folks probably were not worried about being abducted from their vehicle and held hostage until they were forced to write an entire book.  

That is exactly the predicament that King’s main character, Paul Sheldon, finds himself in. 

King has built his fictional fame on a couple of main things. His frightful stories are what  made his name, but he is also famous for working off the old writing advice of “writing what you know.” Hence, his stories are almost always set in the New England area (with “Misery” being a rare exception), and his characters are often involved in writing as a profession.  

For Paul Sheldon, his series of pulp fiction books about a character named Misery Chastain has been his life– right up until they almost cost his life. 

This unusual take on a hostage situation truly distinguishes it among King’s works. Rather than weaponizing someone that Paul loves or leveraging blackmail on him, the story’s villain, the isolated and lonesome Annie Wilkes, strategically uses her medical knowledge to make Paul write.  

As someone with a creative writing minor myself, this piece always gives me pause and makes me question what it means to have your hobby– even your profession– become your prison. 

Naturally, the novel is a psychological thriller with a few classic horror elements embedded. Annie, as an antagonist, really strikes me throughout this work. King carefully crafts her so the full realization of her villainhood is a slow burn. It all unfolds in ways that leave you asking questions after every interaction.  

I was not rooting for Annie, of course, but I found her to be more interesting within the story than Paul. 

My favorite part of this work is the ending. King makes it clear to readers that the traumatic events Paul experiences are still haunting him and influencing his writing.

Aside from this being a realistic response to trauma, it also fulfills the criteria of a psychological piece in the fullest form. Even after coming out alive, Paul remains forever changed and constantly tormented, unable to escape his terror. 

Cards on the table, there were some parts of “Misery” that made me cringe. It relies heavily on medical maladies for plot points, and these can be really gross. Like a typical King work, there is also murder, psychological abuse and a touch of substance misuse.

All of these are things readers should be aware of before diving into the story. 

“Misery” is a true King classic that no horror fan should skip out on. It completely reinvents how we think about horror-reads in a way that still impacts our popular culture today. Even in its most gruesome moments, I give this book a 9 out of 10.