For the month of June, I was keen to read a book that didn't belong to the fantasy or thriller genre, both of which Kay and I usually gravitate towards. Whilst I was brainstorming story ideas for my novel, I borrowed the help of Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft to give me inspiration—maybe even a pep talk. Ever since, I've been meaning to read one of his books. He's such a great writer; it's surprising I've never read any of his works.
Which brings me to June's book club pick.
For those of you who don't know The Institute by Stephen King, it's about a boy called Luke whose parents are killed in the middle of the night, and he gets kidnapped and taken to a facility with other children who have special powers (telekinesis and telepathy) like him. Luke and his friends must find a way to escape the Institute before it's too late.
The Good Stuff
Compared to Danielle Steel's The Right Time (which was May's book club pick), I loved the writing style in this book, which goes to show why Stephen King is so successful in his craft. He manages to weave different character perspectives in the same paragraph without confusing the reader. The transitions between chapters were clever, despite the two plots (Luke's captivity in the Institute vs. Tim Jamieson's job at the sheriff's station) seemingly not relating to each other. It was all the more intense when the two storylines finally met in the climax.
I also liked that the protagonist (Luke) wasn't the strongest user of telepathy/telekinesis, but he was intelligent, and it was this latter trait that helped him and his friends in the end. All too often in fantasy books, we get protagonists who are both strong and smart. I appreciate that King allocates different traits to each of his characters so that it's their joint effort that helps them escape their misery.
At one point, I even cried a little. This just goes to show how real and relatable the characters are. I was thoroughly hooked until the very end.
The Not So Good Stuff
Whilst this book was mainly a huge hit for me, there were some aspects I didn't like as much. I don't want to go into detail to avoid spoiling the book, but the climax felt a bit cheesy and resembled a Marvel film. On top of that, the conversation at the end was cliché and felt a bit forced. I liked that we got our answers, but it seemed to try too hard to convey the moral of the story.
Rating
CY - I give it a solid 4.5/5. It was a very enjoyable read, and I am excited to read more of Stephen King.
Kay - I really enjoyed this book as it was very well-written. It was an interesting read with lots to keep the reader excited and likeable characters that keep you rooting for them. 4/5.
Did any of you read The Institute? If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments.
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