#46 – From a Buick 8

Plot

The state police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret in Shed B out back of the barracks ever since 1979, when Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox answered a call from a gas station just down the road and came back with an abandoned Buick Roadmaster. Curt Wilcox knew old cars, and he knew immediately that this one was…wrong, just wrong. A few hours later, when Rafferty vanished, Wilcox and his fellow troopers knew the car was worse than dangerous — and that it would be better if John Q. Public never found out about it.

Review

From a Buick 8 does a lot of things well – but the best trait of this novel is that at times it is just pure story. Stories that add incredible detail from the past and provide a better framework for current events. The problem with this novel is that it too often deviates from storytelling.

I previously wrote during The Colorado Kid about the idea of a “Mystery Box” and while From a Buick 8 subscribes to this notion, it’s more of a half-measure. Too much time was spent showing the incredible things this car could access. It honestly would have made for a more suspenseful novel if we hadn’t seen the creatures/plants that are born from this special vehicle.

One of the best parts of this story is when one of the characters (Ned) starts to obsess with the Buick Roadmaster. King parlays this into a satisfactory ending, but Ned’s obsession could have been used to tell a much deeper story about a variety of topics (mental illness, closure, etc).

Details

Pages: 356

Dates Read: February – March 2016

Quote: “It’s funny how close the past is, sometimes. Sometimes it seems as if you could almost reach out and touch it. Only who really wants to?”

Best Part: Sandy attempting to save Ned from the Buick Roadmaster.

Hint for #45: The main character – a young boy – shares the same first name as my son.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.