This book is different from King’s usual stuff and not at all what I expected going in. It’s still got his signature pacing and storytelling that can give you goosebumps every now and then, but it’s not your typical King horror-fest. In fact, it could easily be a children’s book but for a bit too much gore and a few expletives.
We all know King for his iconic horror stories such as Carrie and Pet Cemetery. I still shudder at that one. He’s given us some of the most iconic creepy characters and stories ever. Nobody has looked at a clown in the same way since IT. Not to mention Kathy Bates! But Fairy Tale? Oh, it’s a whole different ballgame. Think of it as a fantastical journey with the classic vibe of an old-school fairy tale.
The story takes its time; it is a bit of a chunky book. At its heart is a hero’s journey and follows that structure. We follow this ordinary kid, Charlie, from a small town who has lost his mum and supported his recovering alcoholic father. When he sees his neighbour lying on the ground after a fall from a ladder, he takes it upon himself to look after the man’s dog - Radar. They form a kind of friendship and Charlie soon finds there is a world of secrets hidden beneath this grumpy man’s shed.
“As if my imagination had been waiting for the question to be asked, I saw a vast deserted city deserted but alive. I saw the empty streets, the haunted buildings, a gargoyle head lying overturned in the street. I saw smashed statues (of what I didn’t know, but I eventually found out). I saw a huge, sprawling palace with glass towers so high their tips pierced the clouds. Those images released the story I wanted to tell.” Stephen King
The novel was told in first-person narration from Charlie’s point of view as he looks back on his life and this did throw me off a little. Because of the reflective writing, especially at the start, I knew that he would survive and rejoin the ‘real world’.
King builds this world and story with all those traditional fairy tale elements—trials, ordinary heroes, magical helpers, giants, good and evil. What keeps this story firmly in King territory is the way he explores the dark, original fairy tales. No cutesy, Disney-fied versions. King’s novel goes back to earlier styles such as Gimbattista Basile's 1634 story "The Sun, the Moon and Talia," an early version of Sleeping Beauty where a king impregnates the sleeping maiden, who gives birth to twins. When his queen finds out, she sends her cook to get the children, to kill and cook them, and serve them to her wayward husband as punishment.
In interviews, King has described the process of writing ‘Fairy Tale’ as a release of his imagination in response to the early days of the pandemic. I can see the influence in the desertion of Empis and the mysterious ‘grey’ that has ravaged their world. I can also see his hope that the dark times will bring out the best in people, which in some instances we did see during the pandemic. “Here is something I learned in Empis: good people shine brighter in dark times.” (King 2022)
The characterisation and storytelling are key strengths of the book. But the real star is Radar. She is the sweetest, bravest dog and it was worth the 577 pages to see her get another decade. Dogs deserve to live longer!
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