What begins as an "impossible crime" thriller - a man accused of killing and raping a young boy was seemingly at two places at the same time, providing him with a perfect alibi, while furnishing the police with damning evidence - eventually turns out to be a supernatural thriller with a dash of Dark Tower mythology to round things off. And, truth be told, the transition between the genres ain't exactly smooth. With The Outsider, Stephen King attempts to write a modern take on Dracula, with some elements of the crime novel mixed in. He doesn't entirely succeed, but it's a good read nonetheless.
The first half of The Outsider features some of King's best writing in years, with tight plotting, believable characters, and short, ridiculously readable chapters. For a while there, one would be forgiven for thinking that this was going to be King's version of an Agatha Christie mystery. But, alas, that doesn't turn out to be the case.
The second half of the book is typical King, replete with all his strengths and weaknesses as a writer. You get the readable, unfussy prose, the likable characters, and King's endearing, addictive voice, which keeps you reading even when things aren't exactly moving along. But you also get the cute dialogue, the endless references to pop culture, the occasionally lazy plotting, and the hokey finale, all trademarks of a King book.
But this isn't a bad book. As a matter of fact, it's a damn entertaining one, with a villain that is fascinating and utterly terrifying. That is, till he's unmasked in the underwhelming climax.
This might not be King's best book in years as some have proclaimed it to be. But it is a good one, and, like most of King's work, there's magic to it, .
Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2018.
