Revival by Stephen King

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Revival by Stephen King

                Jamie Morton was preoccupied with a hill of dirt and his toy soldiers when a shadow fell across him. That shadow belonged to the young minister, Charles Jacobs, the new reverend at First Methodist Church of Harlow. That was in October of 1962 and Jamie was only six years old. The Mortons would come to know Reverend Jacobs, his wife Patsy and their son Morrie very well. Reverend Jacobs healed Con Morton after he went mute in a ski accident, harnessing the power of electricity in the name of God. Jacobs was very fascinated with electricity. Often during the youth group sessions he would present some of his gadgets and inventions to the younger parishioners. Things changed after Patsy and Morrie died in a car accident. Jacobs’ faith shattered and one fateful day, the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 1965, he delivered the Terrible Sermon and ended up leaving Harlow. It would be decades later, while Jamie was strung out on heroin and at his lowest point, that he would see Jacobs again. Jacobs would perform another healing with the aid of electricity, this time on Jamie. The aftereffects of that healing would haunt Jamie for the rest of his life, as would the presence of his old reverend Charles Jacobs and his constant search for the secret electricity.
                Classic King. That is the best way to describe this novel and I won’t be the only person to say that. From the very beginning it felt reminiscent of his earlier work: strong character development, a simple sense of security, a hint of mystery and then emotional destruction to the reader. Jamie is an intense, honest narrator who made it very clear from the beginning the affect Jacobs had on his life. The novel spanned five decades and revealed the life Jamie led and how his path intersected often with Jacobs. Each change in the ex-reverend reflected his obsession with what he referred to as secret electricity. Using this secret electricity he would perform experiments on people healing their ailments. The after effects for some would result in their death and many by suicide, but why? It was this mystery that drove the story and kept driving Jamie back into the path of Jacobs.

                I was lucky enough to go to one of Stephen King’s speaking events the day after Revival was released. It was amazing to hear him talk about the writing process and speak about the things that inspired him. When speaking about Revival he referenced Frankenstein and Igor’s reaction when the monster became alive. The vivid imagery he described and the mystifying power of lightning is laced within the pages. As a huge fan of King I was not at all disappointed in this novel. I really enjoyed it. It isn’t full of the blood and gore that some may think of when they hear King’s name because of his reputation but it is full of great writing and engaging story. I give this novel 5 out of 5 stars. If you missed the old King or wanted to ever try a Stephen King novel, then this would be a great option for you. If you love King like I do then dive right in to the mind of man whose imagination and ideas have no boundary. 

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