#180. "Holly" by Stephen King

For half a century, Stephen King has been considered the master of horror. His novels delve into the darkest recesses of the human imagination to find amusement. But what happens when reality far exceeds the potential for fiction? In "Holly," King finds himself digging into an era of American history that feels stranger than any character he's created. With the pandemic fresh in people's minds, the story follows a murder mystery full of the hallmarks that many readers will know well. There's social distancing, people rebelling against mandates, and just a sense of humanity turning on itself. While it's a story that was met with immediate controversy, there's still plenty of spark left in the old master to present a narrative that may not be among his best, but has a liveliness worthy of his legacy.

Despite being the titular role, Holly is a figure that has existed in several King books before. For readers not familiar with those, he provides enough of a backstory to reveal the death of her mentor and the various struggles she's had to face to become an independent detective. As a lead, she's bubbly and upbeat, maybe coded autistic, in a way that feels a bit too cartoonish. While King never veers too far into caricature, there's still a sense that she's a bit too naive to be wading into the darkness on display. It's her enthusiasm that ultimately pulls the final half of the narrative together, but the competence is confused with a personality that feels infantile, closer to Nancy Drew in her early days.

With that said, King's shift into direct mystery is not without its charm. While not as defined as his horror output, there are moments that linger in the reader's imagination. The final twist of the murderer has this drawn out quality carries so much dread that King's greater vision begins to make sense. There are those who feel lost because of the pandemic, but then there's those who needed no motivation to tip into evil. Here the reader gets to see that unraveling happen behind the scenes while everyone else tries to overcome their own trauma. Holly in particular works as a foil because her sadness does as much to hold her back as it does to push her forward, knowing the vindication that comes with the murder case's closure.

If taken as a mystery, the novel satisfies its intentions. King's style has always been magnetic to those just wanting a pulpy experience full of rich characters. Even if none of these rank among his most esteemed, they still produce enough heart and humor to make the time here delightful. Holly as a figure never quite reaches the heights of other full-time King characters, but she does enough right to counteract the dark nature of his mysteries. This may not be saying anything all that meaningful about the pandemic attitudes after 2020, but it's enough to encourage other authors to play around and find something more compelling to delve into and make this era have a richer presence in fiction.