“She was crazy but he needed her.”

That one quote sums up the novel Misery by Stephen King better than any synopsis truly could. A gruesome, psychological thriller, Misery is the story of a successful author named Paul Sheldon. Riding high with the success of his latest novel, he crashes his car in the remote Rocky Mountains. He is knocked unconscious and awakens in the home of Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who is a huge fan of Paul’s. His number one fan, she claims, particularly of his successful romance series about a character named Misery Chastain.

Paul is completely at Annie’s mercy. A blizzard rages so she cannot go for help. His legs are mangled and he is bedridden. Annie takes care of him, but she doesn’t set his legs. If he gives her an answer she doesn’t like or is flippant, she withholds pain medication. She has severe mood swings, from maniacal glee to morose depression. But without her, he would have died after the car crash. He needs her for food, warmth, and shelter… but she is crazy.

What you have with this story is a tale focused on two people in a farmhouse in the middle of a blizzard with only one of them able to move. Sounds boring. But it is so creepy! When Annie realizes Paul’s latest Misery novel actually ends with Misery’s death, she… Well, she is not happy. And when Paul tries to escape and she puts him back into his bed? I cringed when I read it. Even as I am writing this and I’m remembering, I cringe. Ouch!

Stephen King is known for formidable villains – Pennywise the Clown from IT, Leland Gaunt from Needful Things, and Randall Flagg from any book in which he appears. But the protagonist from Misery is perhaps the scariest. Annie Wilkes is a normal human. There are no supernatural powers, no otherworldly beings. This is a tortuous story of what one human being can do to another.

I recommend this book even if you aren’t a Stephen King fan. He is the master of unworldly horror, but his books that focus on mankind’s weaknesses and fears are his truly scary works. Misery will entertain you and it will scare you.

Click to tweet: Friday Fiction. Misery by Stephen King. This book will entertain you and scare you. #FridayReads #horror