Holly
Summary
Stephen King’s latest ‘Holly’, marks the powerful return of the character Holly Gibney. Throughout the Mr. Mercedes series, she has evolved from a shy recluse to a brave partner in the Finders Keepers detective agency, and now a smart, tough private detective. In this novel, she faces deeply disturbing elderly adversaries when she takes on a case involving a missing girl. A contemporary thriller bordering on psychological horror done in the typical King style with a new formidable character ‘Holly’ climbing the ladder to fame.
Readers of Stephen King must know Holly Gibney, King’s beloved investigator from the Hodges Trilogy, The Outsider and If It Bleeds. If you don’t and are venturing into ‘Holly’, the recent standalone novel by the King of Horror, fret not because you’re in for a fresh dark suspense ride. King had previously remarked how Holly was created as a walk-on character in ‘Mr. Mercedes’, but how “she just kind of stole the book and stole my heart.” This suspense novel is a ‘whydunit’ instead of the classic ‘whodunit’ and the ‘whys’ in the novel take you on a gripping ride.
Plot
The novel starts with a spooky premise; not novel though, involving an elderly couple, Rodney and Emily Harris, and a disappearance, with horrors taking place in their basement. It then takes a leap of 11 years to the present in 2021, where Holly is attending her mother’s funeral, who has passed away due to COVID-19. Amid the coronavirus bleakness and death, she receives a desperate call from a distressed mother, Penny Dahl to investigate her missing daughter, Bonnie. The daughter is a young local artist, who gets involved with seemingly harmless elderly folks protecting a gruesome secret. The investigation takes Holly on twisted paths through small-town secrets and confrontations with the monsters that lurk in the hearts of ordinary faces. The plot takes a rather sinister turn with the introduction of the adorable retired teachers posing as the ultimate threat to society.
Characters
Holly’s development through the prior novels has not been missed by readers. In the previous novels, Holly was an anxious, pale, and timid girl who struggled to go about her life. In this novel, however, we meet a multi-layered and complex woman. King had assuredly made her the captivating core of the novel – from the peripheries, she now takes center stage. He brings her vulnerabilities and quirks to life, making her tenacity and fierce intelligence all the more endearing. The other characters in the novel like the elderly Harrises – Rodney and Emily build on the chilly atmosphere of the novel, meanwhile, Jerome and Barbara’s characters are comforting for the regular Stephen King readers. Like most other King novels, in Holly too, the characters wait to dazzle the readers and how!
Settings
What makes the reading experience a careful step into the unknown and unfamiliar horrors is the small town setting. As one flips each page, the idyllic small-town facade crumbles as we peek into haunting human cruelty. The story is chilling not because of supernatural elements but haunting human behaviors which leave you disturbed to the core. King does not shy away from making socio-political commentaries on the current time period in this book. ‘Holly’ is a story that is heavily shaped by contemporary events – COVID-19, racism, sexuality, etc. The story, is, thus heavily layered, and also becomes an important contribution to the Covid-19 pandemic texts that will become important in the coming years.
Writing
King’s signature prose remains strong, effortlessly balancing between moments of wry humour and bone-chilling tension. He delivers sharp dialogue that reveals the personalities and motivations of his characters, while his vivid descriptions, like always, transport the readers into his spine-chilling world. It is worth noting that King, who is going to turn 77 this year, is continuing to write original, relevant, and engrossing stories, which continue to stay loyal to his amazing literary repertoire. Having said that, the prose gets lackadaisical in places owing to its length which tends to sway off the topic or event at hand. At 449, the book feels like a taxing affair; which would’ve been spectacular at 300 some pages.
Final Verdict
‘Holly’ is an unsettling read that proves King’s mastery of suspense extends far beyond the supernatural. It offers a chilling horror experience even sans the trademark horror elements. Quite simply, this is a crime thriller with horror at the core of it. The build-up in the story took a little time which could be slightly off-putting. However, the unprecedented twists and revelations make up for the slow burn that this novel is initially. This might be a first after Carrie perhaps, where the novel is character-driven than plot-driven. The content warnings include sexual harassment, rape, homophobia, racism, violence, and gore, so it could be a triggering read for some.
About the Author
Stephen King has 63 novels, 20 novellas, around 120 short stories, 5 nonfiction books, and a children’s book to his name. His works have sold over 350 million copies and have been adapted into numerous movies and TV shows. King himself has made cameo appearances and directed an adaptation. Despite announcing his retirement in 2002, he resumed writing after a few years.
Have you read ‘Holly’? What did you think?
