‘Christine’ by Stephen King

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

Christine, a 1958 Plymouth Fury, is past her best – beaten up, broken and leaking oil, she needs a shed load of work to get her on the road again. But high-school student Arnie Cunningham sees something in her that grabs him by the throat. Negotiating a deal with her owner, Mr LeBay, he carts the Fury down to Darnell’s garage where he knows he can rent space until he can get the car repaired. Unfortunately, not everyone can see Arnie’s dream. Best pal Dennis thinks Arnie’s got a screw loose.

But that isn’t what troubles Dennis. As the Plymouth begins to regain its former glory, Dennis wonders where Arnie got the money from to buy all the parts. In fact, Arnie himself is kinda wondering – it’s almost as if the car is repairing itself. And then there’s that weird feeling that Christine is no ordinary car, that Christine has a personality all her own, a personality that needs attention and a whole lotta respect. When she doesn’t get it, that’s when the real problems begin.

First published in 1983, this is the first time I’ve read King’s ‘scary car’ novel. While it’s not really a horror, when Christine starts to take revenge on some of the town’s badboys, there are plenty of spooky happenings to suggest something needs to be done about the stroppy jalopy. The story takes a while in the telling and sometimes there’s perhaps a wee bit too much detail and background that can distract from the plot. Nevertheless, it’s a great read and the characters, as always, are utterly believable.

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