Carrie

Published: 1974

Carrie White is a shy high school girl with telekinetic powers, tormented by classmates and raised by a fanatically religious mother. When a cruel prom prank pushes her over the edge, she unleashes her abilities in a catastrophic night of revenge. Published in 1974 as King's debut novel, Carrie nearly didn't exist—King famously threw early pages in the trash before his wife Tabitha rescued them and encouraged him to continue. The novel's epistolary structure, blending traditional narrative with fictional interviews, newspaper clippings, and academic reports, created an unsettlingly realistic portrait of a supernatural disaster. Carrie sold modestly in hardcover at first (around 13,000 copies), but the 1975 paperback edition sold over a million copies in its first year, establishing King as a commercial force. Critics praised King's ability to blend the mundane horrors of adolescence with supernatural elements, while readers connected deeply with Carrie's isolation and pain. The 1976 Brian De Palma film adaptation became a horror classic in its own right and cemented the book's place in popular culture. King himself has described Carrie as 'raw' compared to his later work but remains proud of its emotional impact and thematic exploration of cruelty and its consequences. The novel endures as one of King's most studied works, frequently taught in schools for its symbolic depth and resonant themes about bullying, religious fanaticism, and the terrors of adolescence.

Themes

• Bullying
• Religion
• Telekinesis
• Revenge
• Coming-of-age

Adaptations

• 1976 film by Brian De Palma
• 2002 TV remake
• 2013 film remake

Collector Notes

First Edition: Doubleday, 1974 (Hardcover, 30,000 copies). Paperback: Signet, 1975 — this edition put King on the map. Signed first editions in fine condition are rare and highly collectible.