Title: Christine: Tappaja-auto
Author: Stephen King
First published April 29, 1983
582 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9789513060541 (ISBN10: 9513060543)
Rating: 3.83
Overview
Meet Arnie, a shy and unassuming high school student. He’s never been noticed by anyone except his best friend, Dannis, and his girlfriend, Leigh.
But everything changes when Christine arrives. A beautiful, bright red 1958 Plymouth, Christine awakens Arnie’s inner mechanic and true love.
As he works to restore her beauty and power, she becomes more than just a car to him. She becomes an obsession.
But Christine is a jealous lover and won’t tolerate anyone or anything that stands between them. As the car’s demonic rage grows, it brings destruction and death to anyone who threatens their love.
And eventually, Arnie himself falls under her deadly spell. Christine becomes a powerful tool of revenge, leading to a fateful night that will change Arnie’s life forever.
From the master of horror, Stephen King, comes a chilling tale of love and possession that will leave you breathless.
About the Author
Stephen Edwin King was born to Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King as their second son. When he was just two years old, his father left the family, leaving his mother to raise him and his older brother, David.
Stephen spent some time of his childhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father’s family lived, and in Stratford, Connecticut. Eventually, when he was eleven years old, his mother moved him and his brother to Durham, Maine for good.
This was because her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become too old to take care of themselves, and she was convinced by her sisters to take care of them. Other family members helped by providing a small house in Durham and financial support.
After Stephen’s grandparents passed away, his mother found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, where he graduated in 1966. While in the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS, and was active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate.
Stephen supported the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, coming to this stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970 with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach at the high school level.
However, he was deemed 4-F by a draft board examination due to high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
Stephen met Tabitha Spruce while they both worked as students at the Fogler Library at the University, and they got married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find a teaching job immediately, they relied on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, as well as Tabitha’s student loan and savings, with occasional income from selling short stories to men’s magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale (“The Glass Floor”) in 1967. During the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men’s magazines, with many of them compiled into collections or appearing in anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen started teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. He continued to write in the evenings and on weekends, producing short stories and working on novels.
Editoral Review
Stephen King’s Christine: Tappaja-auto is a supernatural horror novel that was first published on April 29, 1983. King is a prolific American author known for his horror and suspense novels, and Christine is one of his most iconic works.
The novel is set in a small town in Pennsylvania in the late 1970s and explores themes of obsession, possession, and mortality. The plot of Christine revolves around a vintage Plymouth Fury car that becomes the obsession of a teenage boy named Arnie.
The car has a dark history and a malevolent presence that gradually takes over Arnie’s mind and body. As Arnie becomes increasingly possessed by the car, he becomes more aggressive, violent and unrecognisable to those who knew him.
His friend, Dennis, tries to intervene, but it seems that nobody can stop the deadly car from claiming more victims. The main characters in the novel are Arnie and Dennis, who provide contrasting perspectives on the central conflict.
Arnie is a socially awkward and unpopular teenager with a troubled family background, while Dennis is a popular and confident jock who cares deeply for his friend. The car itself is also a central character, with its sinister personality and supernatural abilities.
The setting of the novel is a typical American suburban town, complete with high school cliques, family dramas, and teenage rebellion. King’s writing style is gripping and visceral, with a meticulous attention to detail that brings the characters and setting to life.
The novel is structured as a series of interlocking scenes that build tension and suspense towards a shocking conclusion. King’s ability to create believable and relatable characters is one of his greatest strengths, and Christine is no exception.
The novel is particularly effective in its depiction of the psychological and emotional transformation undergone by Arnie as he becomes ever more entwined with the car. At the same time, Christine is not without its flaws.
Some readers may find the novel excessively violent and disturbing, with scenes of graphic death and destruction. In addition, the novel’s themes of misogyny and toxic masculinity may be off-putting for some readers.
However, these elements are integral to the novel’s portrayal of the dark side of American culture and the dangers of obsession and possession. Overall, Christine is a timeless masterpiece of horror fiction that is sure to chill and thrill readers of all ages.
Stephen King’s writing is at its best in this novel, with a perfect balance of suspense, horror, and psychological insight. The novel is likely to appeal to fans of horror, suspense, and thriller genres, as well as those interested in the supernatural and the darker side of human nature.
I recommend this book as a must-read for anyone looking for a riveting and unforgettable reading experience. Rating: 4.5/5.0
