It’s a timely exploration of retribution and forgiveness as both Billy and Alice must weigh the benefits of so-called justice against the toll it will take on their humanity. Though not a supernatural horror story, Billy Summers is deeply upsetting at times in its depiction of the real horrors humans inflict on one another. It’s in this central relationship that the story finds its heart and the two unlikely allies challenge each other to confront their pasts and begin to move forward.
Recovering from her own trauma, she helps Billy refine not only his narrative voice, but his purpose in life. Though Billy strives to keep us at a distance with an often cold and declarative voice, King’s gift for internal monologue reveals the real Billy behind his many facades.Ĭomplicating Billy’s mission is Alice, a young woman thrust into his life after a vicious attack. But not since his 1992 novel Dolores Claiborne has he given this much depth to an unlikeable character and added such pathos to questionable choices. King is no stranger to the writer as protagonist, with many iconic authors filling the pages of his massive canon. Introspective by nature, he defines himself and everyone he meets as either “good” or “bad.” But it’s in life’s nuances, between these two rigid characterizations, and in writing his own story that he discovers who he really is. But King never loses track of his story and the deftly shifting narrative voice becomes a testament to the transformative power of writing.īilly wears many different disguises throughout King’s novel, a simple-minded soldier, a friendly neighbor, a cold-blooded killer, and a pragmatic opportunist.
Billy’s manuscript weaves in and out of the pages, grounding the often meandering story in Billy’s ultimate quest for redemption. While awaiting the moment he’ll take the killing shot, he poses as a writer and through the fictional novel serving as his cover, finds himself unpacking trauma from his time stationed in Fallujah and a horrific childhood tragedy.
Reminiscent of his universally beloved 11/22/63, King’s novel about a calculated killer takes a simple framework and infuses it with life and love, transforming it into a powerful story of recovery and redemption in the guise of a hard-boiled crime novel.Ī former marine during the Iraq War, Billy is a skilled sniper and assassin. The titular assassin accepts a risky assignment to kill a high profile criminal turned witness before his trial, but finds that there’s more to this mysterious commission than meets the eye. The elevator pitch for Stephen King’s new novel, Billy Summers, is deceptively simple: an elite hitman on his last job.
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