Sometimes, writers find their supporting and secondary characters are the more fascinating ones than the main protagonists and the main villains. In the Stephen King universe, there have been numerous characters that have come and went. Take how King introduced us to Sheriff George Bannerman in The Dead Zone only to kill him off as just another victim in Cujo.
Bannerman was nothing more than a generic law officer in a writer’s work. Other characters like tabloid journalist Richard Dees had more charisma and mystery. That’s why he appears in King’s short story “The Night Flier.” For the most part, Holly Gibney has appeared in six books now and been portrayed by two actresses. Nothing against Cynthia Erivo in The Outsider, but I think Justine Lupe did a better job in the Mr. Mercedes series. Lupe had the nice mousey demeanor of someone who still makes a note of every purchase in her checkbook while still having the vice of smoking cigarettes when women like her don’t even vape.
But while both Erivo and Lupe did great jobs in both series is that Holly Gibney was never the main protagonist. Characters like Gibney are never meant to be the main characters. They need someone like the the gruff Bill Hodges of the Mercedes books and series or Ralph Anderson from The Outsider to counter and contrast them. It’s obvious Gibney is someone from an affluent family who has suffered from being the lesser child which led to her reclusiveness and inferior complex.
Her obsessive compulsory disorder may also look like she’s on the autism spectrum a little. Gibney appeared in her first solo novel Holly which wasn’t one of King’s best and written like a liberal version of Grandpa Simpson screaming at the clouds. Published in September of 2023, some might look at it as a definite middle finger to the MAGA culture and Trumpism even though the villains are liberal-leaning and cannibals.
Never Flinch touches on some harder recent topics, most notably the abortion debate. Gibney is hired to be a bodyguard of a celebrity feminist Kate McKay, who is facing threats from anti-abortion activists as she is on a nationwide public speaking tour. At the same time, there is an unknown assailant murdering people related to a jury trial as well as people associated with Alcoholics Anonymous groups.
It’s a complex story that only someone like King and few other writers can weave. King is obviously upset as are much America over the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Yet, King knows to take pot shots at both sides. Even though she is a feminist, McKay is portrayed more as a narcissist who relishes the limelight only when it works out in her favor. I’m reminding of how George Carlin would trash liberals and environmentalists who didn’t care about anyone but themselves. Still, it’s hard not to see McKay as just a prima donna celebrity stereotype.
King was a product of the 1960s radical movement, so it’s easy to see how he and others from that generation feel portrayed by those who only wanted to do it to a degree. America is a more diverse political place now than it was when King was in college. Like any good horror writer, he knows the biggest danger is and always has been humankind. And worse is humankind that has great its own cult of a religion to control people as that’s also in the novel.
The plot isn’t always that good and I would argue that King is actually just writing James Patterson crime thrillers with these books, even though he tells the story better than Patterson. King has often been critical of the writer saying his style has no depth. Granted, King, a former teacher, is more concerned with how the story is told rather than if it’s a good story. Just as a comedian telling a mediocre joke, it can work in the way it’s delivered. Patterson is a former ad person so he’s all about attracting someone’s attention before they lose interest.
King has been known to write some big novels that you can hammer nails with. At 439 pages, this is typical length of the previous novels in which Gibney has appeared. He seems to be having some fun with these novels to produce a good read while filling a contractual obligation. Not every novel needs to be written as if every word is important. I understand King’s interest in bringing her back. But I suggest, the author send the private detective on a much needed vacation.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 