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I read my first Stephen King novel, a paperback version of Carrie, when I was 15 (an astonishing thirty years ago) and was totally hooked. I have read almost everything that he has written with the exception of some of his Richard Bachman stories, and always look forward to the experience. Lisey’s Story was no exception, and I have been very impressed with this novel, so much so that at one point before Christmas I had to put it down as I had come to care about Lisey so much that I simply didn’t want to read about the horrible thing that was about to happen to her (this is King after all); I had a strong feeling of dread and wanted to be in the right frame of mind to continue. So when I picked it up on my return to work after the holidays as my commuting read I was prepared for the worst, but of course shouldn’t have worried, because yes, unpleasant things happen but there is triumph over adversity and lessons learned and good wins over evil, but as always there is a price to pay.

I found Lisey a really convincing character, and the descriptions of her relationship with her much-loved late husband, the famous author Scott Landon, really rang true – the secret language, the shorthand, the in-jokes – and her relationship with her sisters was also compelling.

When the novel was published last year King said in several interviews that his wife was concerned that people would assume the Landons were based on them, and there is a temptation to try and fit some of the non-supernatural events into what is known of King’s own career, but the strength of tha characters soon leads you away from that road.

I know that King isn’t to everyone’s taste, especially those of a squeamish disposition, but I wish that he was more highly regarded by the literary establishment and not just pigeon-holed as a genre best-seller.

I can hardly wait for his next novel, which is due out very soon.