The Institute by Stephen King
A Horror, 2019 by Scribner, 561 Pages
What I Didn’t Like:
- I like originality so when it felt like The Shining or Clockwork Orange I rolled my eyes.
- The character we meet and love first takes a big chunk of the book OFF. I spent a lot of time wondering what he had to do with anything and if he’d be coming back.
- I felt like the story went on for a few more chapters than it needed to. Of course, I like endings that leave me hanging and keep me thinking so that is likely a personal one.
- The pacing felt a little off in the center of this one. It seemed to drag more than I’m used to from this author.
What I Did Like:
- Great characters right away. As is typical for King, these characters have such depth that you feel like you know someone just like this. They feel completely real.
- The mystery surrounding back half was well done. You want to know even while being relatively certain you DON’T want to know.
- When the two storylines crash together, it works and it’s intriguing.
- I like the way the ending came together. I like the big idea the Institute was working under and how that frames an interesting ethical question.
- A lot of the choices made important characters feel juvenile, but that’s a GOOD THING since we’re talking about actual children. It’s realistic in that way.
Who Should Read This One:
- If the idea of a group of kids who have some predisposition to telekinesis or teleportation being brought to a top secret facility intrigues you, you may be just the niche for this one.