The Dark Half by Stephen King

A main theme in The Dark Half is identity:

" 'The hardest part was actually coming up with the name,' Beaumont [the hero novelist] continues, nipping lightly at the pencil. 'But it was important. I knew it would work. I knew it could break the writer's block I was struggling with . . . if I had an identity. The right identity, one that was separate from mine.' "

Read, read, read

All great authors begin their careers by excessive reading. In The Dark Half, we read lots of literary inferences to other authors. One of the first literary name-drops found in The Dark Half is Ernest Hemingway. Shane Stevens first came up with the name "George Stark." Theodore Dreiser wrote Sister Carrie, which is also mentioned. Frank Norris is cited for his novel McTeague, a book I also really enjoy, which was based on an actual crime at the time it was written. King seems to cite authors who used their real names to publish, rather than pseudonyms.

Writing Style

Stephen King seems to use news writing style. Short, punchy sentences in third-person, as if he's the eye of God, to draw perspective. He also allows the reader into the mind of the main character, to understand his motivations. King keeps his numbered sections short, with the reader's time in mind. In each section, something new is introduced to add to the suspense, whether it's a new character or simply some insight into the past of the main character(s). Sectioned chapters also bring in outside scenes that will be pertinent to the plot. The vignettes used in this novel are reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway, and King also mentions Agatha Christie (likely for her suspense). King is educated at keeping readers awake and page-turning to find out what happens next.

Kill Thine Enemy

It's hilarious that King brutally murders off people that crossed him through fiction. First, it's Homer Gamache, who tries extorting money from Thad Beaumont (the hero) in exchange for not giving up his pseudonym (George Stark). Gamache gets bludgeoned to death in his truck. Likewise, the agent that helped stage a People photo-op of a faux tombstone marked "George Stark," and, "Not a nice guy," also turns up dead.

If you like to write, I strongly suggest you try fictionally killing your enemies. It's therapeutic to kill them in the only legally allowable sense, and I know it often comes out rather tongue-in-cheek, having written a poem about poisoning my mother-in-law's coffee. Yes, it's terribly hilarious, and non-prosecutable.

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