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The Second Time Around
Posted on 2009-07-24 07:28:14
There are a lot of things that grab me the second time around. Songs, movies, books, you name it. I especially enjoy this when the first time through was less than stellar. The more I dislike it the first time through, the happier I am when I discover I like it the second time through. Even if I don't find it to be the best whatever-it-is in the world; I just thoroughly enjoy being rewarded for giving it another shot.
Case in point: BLACK HOUSE, by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It's a book, for all you American Idol watchers out there that probably never picked one up. And I didn't really get into it the first time through. Primarily because of Henry Leyden. He's a cool character with a lot of potential, and it seemed like he was pretty prominent in the beginning of the book. It seemed, in fact, like he was going to play a major role in the climax of the story. Then, right about a third of the way in, he vanished, and only appeared once every few chapters for about six paragraphs, wherein he did not much more than sit in a car or say things like "Ivey-divey" or "Ding-dong."
So I'm reading this book, and thinking, "Where's Henry? What does he have to say about all this?" Then I get to a chapter that has Henry in it, and he's only mentioned in passing. And I'm let down. I think it would have been great if Henry ended up coming with Jack to Sheol, and hearing his observations about it. Or maybe he could have been the one to kill the Fisherman, instead of the kid. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to rewrite the story or anything. Far from it. I loved the book (the second time around) and wouldn't do anything to compromise the flow of it. But I would have liked to see Henry used more. I mean, think about it: remember the scene at the dance in the old folks home? Henry plays the Shake, the Shiek, the Shook of Araby, and his prominence is undeniable. Then, like a wisp of smoke, he dissipates. Very disappointing. And that's what kinda wrecked the story for me the first time through.
So last week, I dug it out of my paperback collection and turned to page 1. And by the time I closed the back cover, I was completely and totally in love with the book. Which is weird, considering the huge disappointment the first time around. I just didn't really get it the first time, and it took that second reading through to really make it click for me.
The thing is, I'm pretty sure I know why it took two times through: it was because of THE TALISMAN, the book that came before it. BLACK HOUSE could be considered TALISMAN part 2. I have this thing about books: I re-read the previous story when a sequel comes out, so it's fresh in my mind. I did that right before reading BLACK HOUSE, and I think that was a mistake. The book flowed so much better when it wasn't taken in immediately following TALISMAN, which was a very different kind of story.
Then again, perhaps I'm wrong about that. Why? you ask? Because I didn't really get into THE TALISMAN the first time through, either. The reason: Wolf. My god, what a completely hopeless and annoying character, and I'm nearly positive I have Peter Straub to thank for that. I could tell that TALISMAN was written as sort of a chapter-trade-off between King and Straub, and after a while, the way Straub mistreated Wolf was unbearable. He turned the character into a whiny, useless anchor. Now it's not like I'm of the opinion that whiny and useless characters should not appear in novels, it's just that I think that, if a character is going to be whiny and useless, that trait should be established early on, and the character should be consistent in behavior. But Wolf was a brave and funny character in the beginning, and as Straub got tired of him, he got worse and worse. I think King may have killed the character off just to minimize the damage being done to the overall story. Didn't any of you notice how much his character John-Kerry'd (flip-flopped) between being a somewhat cool character and a total douchebag?
...I dunno, maybe it's just me. But I grow to expect certain things from a character, and Wolf started out strong, then lost all his wind. Ditto Henry Leyden. I'm not sure if that's King's fault, or Straubs, though I tend to think it was the latter, simply because that kind of character degeneration isn't found in any of King's other books that I know of.
Anyway, enough about that. I suggest you kids go read BLACK HOUSE if you haven't already. And if you have, and didn't much like it the first time, give it another shot. You might be surprised! I was. Bravo, Steve!
