I wasn’t completely sure what to expect when I started reading 1922. I know that Stephan King is an author well-known for multiple award-winning books; however, I only recently got into reading so I haven’t read any. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. I hadn’t heard anything about it compared to some of his other books. But, I am happy with my decision to read this book because it ended up being one that I enjoyed.

1922 takes place in Hemingford, Nebraska where Wildred James gets into an argument with his wife, Arlette James, about whether or not they should sell the farmland they inherited.  Wilfred wants to keep the land while Arlette wants to sell it and move to the city with the money they get. Wilfred is willing to do anything to keep the land, including coaxing his son to help him murder his wife. However, doing this came with consequences that seem a little more than coincidental. 

One thing I liked that King did when writing 1922 was instead of chapters like most books have, it is written as one long confession from the future. This can be seen by how the book is started on the first page: “April 11, 1930. Magnolia Hotel. Omaha, Nebraska. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: My name is Wilfred Leland James...” This made it much more personal since you are reading something directly from the main character, Wilfred, rather than just a 3rd person rendition of what happened. It also makes you ask questions about what happened since something must have happened for him to want to confess. However, if you like having the chapters to separate the different parts of the book then you may not like that it’s written this way.

Additionally, what kept me interested while reading was King's ability to make vivid images through his words. 1922 is very gory in the sense that it includes descriptions of the murder of Wilfred’s wife and what she looks like both during and after. If you don’t do well with such depictions, then I don't suggest this book. An example of this is on page 27 when it says, “It was not words that emerged from her greatly enlarged mouth, however, but the rat which had been chewing on the delicacy of her tongue.”  While this isn’t the nicest thing to imagine, his ability to be able to have you imagine exactly what everything looks like just through his words is astonishing and made 1922 a much better read.

Lastly, what I like about 1922 is the unique character development. Usually, when you think of character development you think of some sort of character that needs improvement as a person and then gets better throughout the book. In 1922, it’s sort of the opposite. You are able to slowly see and realize that Wilfred is getting more psychologically insane throughout the book. “Do you like how things have turned out, Wilf? She’d ask if she could (and, in my imagination, did). Was it worth it? What do you say?” (page 88). In this quote, he is imagining his wife and shows how he is starting to lose his mind. I liked this aspect of the book because it offers something different than the usual “bad guy becomes good overtime” that we usually see. 

Overall I believe that 1922 by Stephen King was a great psychological horror book to read. The structure, descriptions, and unique character development all made it a great book to read and it definitely exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to start reading some of King’s other books.