Sometimes there is absolutely no difference at all between salvation and damnation.

Completed January 10th, 2015

The Green Mile by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I avoid all things horror-related, which made me expect that Stephen King would never be my cup of tea. At the same time, I was aware that he is an important author that I should try at some point (preferably, during daytime when in an optimistic mood). So when I received The Green Mile for Christmas, I decided to finally dive in.

I'll say up-front that this is the most disturbing book that I have read in recent memory. It takes place at Cold Mountain Penitentiary, which houses an electric chair, the prisoners condemned to die on it, and the guards tasked with ensuring that lives and deaths proceed as planned. King holds nothing back when it comes to describing executions and the events that lead up to them, creating a world that revolves sickeningly around the moments in which life ends and death begins. The story is told by former warden Paul Edgecombe, whose world is turned upside down with the arrival of John Coffey: a seemingly gentle giant who has been sentenced to death for a monstrous crime.

This book is a page-turner, making it feel shorter than it is. Even though some events are predictable in a broad sense, the details of how they play out are often surprising. The fast-paced plot is driven by characters who are forced to grapple with heavy questions: Are there worse punishments than death? When, if ever, is killing justifiable? At what point is "just doing my job" an invalid excuse? King evokes compassion as well as repulsion for guards and prisoners in almost equal measure. I was especially struck by the two apparent psychopaths, Percy and Wharton, who seem to be two sides of the same coin. They just happen to be on opposite sides of prison bars, with Percy having had the "luck" to find a legal outlet for his destructive tendencies while Wharton unleashed his brutality on the countryside. And of course, my favorite character was Mr. Jingles - I'm always impressed with animal characters that are vivid and surprising while still hovering on the edge of believability.

However, I did have some issues with the book, which mostly relate to the portrayal of John Coffey. See the spoilery last part of my review on Goodreads.

[Read for the Read Harder Challenge: a book recommended by someone else.]

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