Am I the only one not liking Big Driver

[DogMom]

I'm about 1/2 to 2/3 way through "Big Driver" and I'm not sure that I can finish it. I've had a hard time getting over the nature of the story. I'm sure that it ends well, as well as it can, but it bothers me. Am I the only one who feels this way? I'm sure that Tess kills the Big Driver (can't remember his name off the top of my head) in some fitting horrific way, but still.....

And before someone says that "a writer that brings out these feeling in others just shows how well it's written" or "it's a great reflection on how the writer can bring the characters to life" I get that. It's just the nature of the story. Yes he puts a face on rape from the victim stand point. It's just not what I expect from SK. I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself completely.......

[Moderator]

It took me more than one try to get through the story, too. I'd suggest you keep going, though.

[J.T. Adams]

The stories are dark, for me they were his darkest to date. But I loved em.

Keep reading if you can.

[fushingfeef]

I think a lot of people had a similar issue with "Gerald's Game"...it wasn't the writing, just the content that put a lot of people (particularly women) off. I agree with Ms. Mod though, hang in there and try to finish it off. Better finished than unfinished--there is some resolution to this story.

[bobledrew]

It's harrowing. There's no doubt about that. But SK has a strong affinity for women who find their strength in desperate situations (think Dolores Claiborne, Rose McClendon, Bev Marsh). I think that the story is worth it, but I understand the difficulty you might have with it. I also suspect that it might be more difficult for women to read this story than men. The identification with Tess would be far stronger, more visceral, for women.

[~Ally~]

Personally I loved all of these stories, SK's writing was superb. Yet they are very dark tales, and certain subject matters are always going to affect some people more than others. If you're really having that hard a time reading this story then maybe it's best to stop? You can always try to read it again at a later date.

[Ragan]

I had a hard time with it, enough that I ended up not finishing the book (a first for an SK book). It is very disturbing.

[GNTLGNT]

It's like sandpaper for the mind, and is certainly not for everyone-but for those who can row the dark waters, it's well worth it....

[bryantburnette]

Sometimes, horror fiction ought to actually horrify; otherwise, it has no teeth, and therefore no impact.

I thought the structure of Full Dark, No Stars was extremely interesting, in that it consists of four stories involving men who do really, really terrible things to women.

And King picked the absolute best one of the four to end the collection with; it kind of put a nice bow on the whole package. And "Under the Weather," in the paperback edition, serves as an appropriate coda.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the book. But, yes, I can certainly understand someone having trouble soldiering past some of the content, especially in "Big Driver."

[Gazou]

I thought the structure of Full Dark, No Stars was extremely interesting, in that it consists of four stories involving men who do really, really terrible things to women.

I only read the first 2 so far and me I though it was a book on how to raise your child to be a criminal. Cant wait to see the others.

I did not like the beginning too much. It's not really because of the theme; that's not the first sexual abuse scene in a King book. The trap just seemed a bit too far fetched. Seriously, what are the odds that Big Driver's trap to get Tess would work? What if she braked on time or what if her cell phone had worked, or if the band's truck had also hit the nails? How could he get away with so many murders by being so stupid? It's not impossible, I just could have been made more believable. But when it gets to the revenge part, I thought it started getting pretty good.