Is there a reason there is no APT PUPIL thread?

[Midten]

Apt Pupil is probably my favorite Novella by Stephen King next to Secret Window, Secret Garden.

It's the best story in Different Seasons!

[JAMESTHEKINGFAN]

I didn't even finish the story--I got halfway through it before I stopped. The writing seemed too cumbersome, and over and over I just felt like I was reading instead of being entertained by the story.

As to the horror aspects, it seemed to be what people think of as psychological horror--a story in which people's thoughts and actions cause the reader to gasp in morbid fantasy. This type of story is of course harder to write than the traditional "monster" horror, because you don't have the escapist security of a Boogeyman to explain away everything; instead, the people's action, talk, and thought serve to carry the plot along, and create the more solid, if sometimes grotesque, metaphors and characterization.

On a certain level i agree with your idea that the two main characters had no redeeming qualities that are required for the story to work. Even the mother seemed somewhat weird, if not horrific, in the actions she took.

[amcbride]

I just read this short story and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The characters of Todd and Dussander were very different from other King characters because as you people have stated there was no good qualities about them...they were both simply disturbing. Which IMO is what was great because sometimes in this crazy world there are people like that. There were very dark moments in the book, but the whole concept of Nazis and Concentration Camps is very dark and disturbing itself. I think Todd was a good kid but the stories that the old man told him really messed him up in the head. Even after that he struggled with what was in his head and what was civilized and right, in the end we all know what part of him won. I enjoyed reading this til the very end, however I think it would have been good to see how Todd would have dealt with the cops when they began questioning him about the bodies, and that they were on to him. Overall nice read.

[JAMESTHEKINGFAN]

i just like for the characters to at least have some good traits. Can't be totally depraved, or too good. That would just be bad storytelling from my point of view.

[Pucker]

"There goes Pucker in his U.N.C.L.E. sweater."

I love this story, and I do not believe that Tod is inherently evil (or without "redeeming" qualities, whatever those are). He is what the title suggests, and he learns well. That a very impressionable adolsecent mind could be easily drawn from idle (if a bit morbid) curiosity into the kind of escalating madness that Dussander represents seems very reasonable to me. I particularly liked the way the power structure (parents, school) was so easily buffaloed when things started to get a little out of hand. For truly disturbing characters, look no further than Tod's parents, who appear to have no idea at all what's going on in his life and little desire to find out. You tell me: what is more monstrous than a disinterested parent? I much prefer this kind of story to the "boogeyman" story -- particularly seeing as how King's boogeymen tend to be paper tigers as often as not.

[GNTLGNT]

You picked up a SK book and don't like horror? That's akin to buying a Dennis Leary CD and not caring for vulgarity...well, well, well I've almost heard it all now...

[Dishsoaps]

Just finished this story in Different Seasons. I really liked the beginning and the gruesomeness (is that a word lol) of what he did and the ending i really liked as well. But for the middle of the story for about 60-75 pages of it i really couldnt get into it. But with the beginning and end as good as i like them to be, they made up for the boring middle section of the story!!

[GLewman]

I absolutely loved this story. The characters were very believable and the progression to madness was perfect. It was like they went back and forth teasing a little more depravity out of each other. This story is a great example of why SK is the best writer in the last 50 years. He can write people better than anyone even if he has no personal experience with what he is writing about. All I can say is stories like Apt Pupil are the reason I have added several thousand dollars to Stephen's personal fortune over the years

[John No Initial Smith]

Totally agree with you there. This is my favourite novella in the collection - truly, truly disturbing (you're right, no other word to use!) Found the movie overwrought and overacted. And, dear friends, is there a scarier last line to any work of fiction anywhere...how many did he get???

[jcadams]

"There goes Pucker in his U.N.C.L.E. sweater."

I particularly liked the way the power structure (parents, school) was so easily buffaloed when things started to get a little out of hand. For truly disturbing characters, look no further than Tod's parents, who appear to have no idea at all what's going on in his life and little desire to find out. You tell me: what is more monstrous than a disinterested parent?

I think it was so easy for Todd to buffalo them because his parents thought they were his friends and assumed that they knew what was going on.
Seriously? Would you just trust that your teenage son was donating so much of his time to helping an old man without getting anything in return? I have two teenage sons and know that even though they can be thoughtful and helpful to someone in need, they aren't going to give up EVERY day to be with that person. Come on, kids are known for being social, but only with their peers.