Misery

Having watched the film numerous times before I ever picked up the novel, I was delighted to discover how alike the two mediums are. Except that King's Annie in the novel version is a tad more scary. Okay, a LOT more. There are some mortifying actions she takes that makes Paul and the reader back themselves into a corner so tightly that their bodies are pinched by an ache that permeates through their mind, an ache called fright. Yet, Paul never loses his mind and because of that he gives us courage and the ability to endure and while we endure Annie's cruelty and psychotic episodes, we find an escape and reprieve in Paul's' own stories that he actually writes while held captive in one of her rooms. What's incredible about Misery how unpredictable Annie is and how horrible her mind works and how Paul finds a way to carefully and wisely respond; he learns to survive. And that's a lesson we can all take away when dealing with our worst nightmare.