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2 stars

Rage is Stephen King's first work under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. I didn't really know what to expect from this. Mostly I was curious because I know of this book's problematic past. If you are unaware, this book is currently out of print at King's request because it may have incited violent behaviour similar to that seen in the story. This book follows a school shooting/occupation by Charlie Decker.



Honestly, for most of this I was just bored. Although usually I am a character-driven reader, I just could not sympathize or appreciate Charlie. He was problematic and the narrative is written in a way that the reader is encouraged to sympathize with him. Bachman/King gives this sense of him being a victim, don't get me wrong, he kind of is (what with his traumatic childhood), but I just can't get past the vibe that he is right for shooting up a school!

I guess the theme that was supposed to be portrayed here was that we are what our backgrounds make us. I think that this theme can be done much differently/better. Again, Decker was an issue. The problem with the classmates was that they weren't compelling. Since a lot of the novel is spent exploring the dynamics/backgrounds of these people, not being invested in them really hindered my like of this novel.

The best way I can describe Rage is "problematic + meh". Not my cup of tea. It made me feel uncomfortable. When I started reading it, I wanted to see why it caused an uproar. Now I understand.