A review by readingthestars
The Long Walk by Stephen King, Richard Bachman

5.0

“They're animals, all right. But why are you so goddam sure that makes us human beings?”

This was my first Stephen King book and I absolutely loved it. I finished this book ~6 hours ago and STILL can't stop thinking about it. I already kind of want to reread it, and that's how I know it was good. I didn't really feel physically ill while reading this like others have, but that doesn't mean it wasn't gruesome in its own right. I feel like writing a 10 page paper analyzing this book, but since I can't, I'll put some of my points into this review.


The Writing

Right off the bat, I could tell that King's writing is a bit distant/stiff. It takes a bit of getting used to, and there are some outdated terms/phrases in this book that were just unnecessary for the story in my opinion. Lots of weird scenes with women as well, which kinda make sense because the characters are teenage boys, but still a bit uncomfortable to read.

The writing made it so that I didn't really emphasize with Garraty, our main character, as much. I actually felt the most for McVries. The more I think about this book, the more I feel for Garraty and understand his story, but while reading, I felt distant. As I read more, I did feel a bit more attached, especially as the characters all started descending into their own madness.

All the characters were referred to by their last names. They all had first names (except for Stibbens), but King used their last names. At first an odd choice that made it difficult to imagine these characters as teenagers in my mind, I realized it added a lot to the story. I had trouble seeing them as teenagers, because by participating in this Long Walk, they were no longer just boys. Or maybe King used the last names to prevent the reader from getting too attached to one character. They're just pawns in this game, this entertainment, and aren't even allowed their first names as they partake in it.


The World

I want to know more about this world so bad. How did this Walk come about? Why are people so obsessed with it? How many other winners have there been? How have they lived their lives since winning? So many questions, and as much as I'd love to know the answers, I'm kind of okay not knowing. This world is very contained: it starts at the beginning of the Walk, follows the road, and then ends when the road ends. Although the characters walk through multiple towns and states, essentially the whole story takes place in one setting: the trail they are following. I'm a big fan of stories that have one setting, because it becomes a character study and it really allows all the characters to shine and to be expanded upon. All of these small conversations end up meaning so much more by the end of the book.

I'm also a huge fan of the deadly game trope. I just finished watching Squid Game a few days ago, and this book is very alike that story. It's also very similar to The Hunger Games (except in this one, they don't choose to join the deadly game, so the trope doesn't quite apply). Something about these stories is so fascinating to me. I think it's the morality behind it all. Is it all worth it in the end? You work so hard and either you end up dead or you get everything you ever wanted. But at that point, it all feels so hollow. Was the end prize worth all the pain you endured and witnessed?

And the audience also plays a large part in it. Remember when The Hunger Games movie came out and people started choosing "team Gale" or "team Peeta" even though that wasn't the point of the books at all? We romanticized the games just as the citizens of the Capitol did in the story. And same with this book - I couldn't put it down because I was anxiously waiting to see who died next, who won, how people died...just like the Crowd in the novel. I had my own favorite Walkers that I was rooting for, just like they did. How am I much better than them? It definitely shows that these stories accurately portray humans, and how we often don't even recognize it.

And the inherent goodness of humanity got to me. It really did. Everyone helping each other out, saving people from almost certain death, pouring water over someone's head when they needed it. The only time they stopped was when there were so little of them left, and they all just wanted it to end. And as soon as they stopped helping each other, people started dying at record speeds. They all helped in the beginning, despite knowing it would be detrimental to themselves somewhere down the line. But it's human nature to offer a hand.

On a lighter note, idk how they had to maintain a 4mph pace the entire time. I'm 5'2" with short legs and 4mph to me is not a "walk," it's borderline a light jog. And they talk to each other the whole time??? I could never.


The Numbers

I wanted to go deep in this review, so I looked up the meaning of the main three characters' assigned numbers. Here's what I found:
Garraty - #47 - "driving forces, determination, and imagination"
McVries - #61 - "harmony and balance"
Stebbins - #88 - "an analytical approach to accomplishing some business goals"
Might mean nothing, but you gotta admit, that kinda makes sense.


The End

As I was reading, I knew that Garraty would win. He's the main character, and we're viewing this Walk through his eyes. But as I got towards the end, I started doubting myself. There was an earlier conversation talking about how horrible being the last to die would be. I started thinking, "What if it ends with Garraty dying? Him knowing that he got so far and it didn't even matter?" Definitely a more depressing ending, but I'm not sure if the actual ending is any happier.

In the end, Garraty continues moving. He actually starts running towards a shadowy figure in the distance. I saw this as him losing his senses and hallucinating or something. He has spent so long on this road that his body doesn't know how to stop. Maybe he's gone through a mental break. Some people think it's him reaching for death. I'm not really sure which interpretation is better. Either he died immediately after winning, or he survived, but it doesn't even matter because he's not the same anymore.