Book over Movie.
I made the mistake of watching this movie with my friend Simon before reading the book. That was a bad call on my part. Not watching the movie with him because movies with him are always fun but I wish I had watched the movie after reading the book I think I would have enjoyed it much more. The story was well written but anything by Stephen King usually is. I have few complaints if any when it comes to reading his books. This book had some high points and some low points. A high point for me is seeing a book not set in Maine. I know that much of his older stuff is set in Maine and I love when he branches out. This book centers around two main characters who have jointly committed an act of murder, but the story goes beyond the murder itself. To me, the story also reflects harsh and lonely times in the Midwest just after the First World War, and the sometimes-difficult choices that must be made in order to survive. That does not mean in no way shape or form do I agree with the idea of murder, it just means for the sake of this story the murder adds to the darkness of the time in which it was set. The father in this paired duo is a well-educated farmer looking to make his dream of owning land and making a good dent in his own life is driven to madness in order to achieve his dreams but at what cost? I often pick up books that I really can not wait to get my hands on. In this case I needed validation that the book was better then the movie that Netflix put out and it truly did deliver that. Even for a short story it is crafted well and very worth the read.
