The Institute, by Stephen King

Scribner, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-9821-1056-7

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook

The Institute is entry number fiftysomething in the catalogue of He Who Cannot Stop Writing, better known as Stephen King.  As he has been wont to do since 2010’s Full Dark, No Stars, King continues to mine the vein of psychological horror, finding true evil in the inhuman actions that normal, rational human beings foist on each other.  King doesn’t need vampires, hotels with a mind of their own or undead children with scalpels to do so: he finds plenty of ugliness with the insanity of everyday people.  The Institute isn’t on the level of his unholy trinity of The Shining, The Stand,  and ‘Salem’s Lot, but it’s still a very good read, and one that would be considered outstanding for any other author.  It’s clear that over 40 years into his career, King still has an iron grip on his claim to being America’s best writer, and he isn’t likely to relinquish the throne anytime soon.

The first 40 pages consist of following Tim Jamieson, an ex-cop drifting through life, who  winds up in the tiny hick town of Dupray, South Carolina and takes a King-created job as a night knocker, someone who walks the town from dusk till dawn, checking business doors and keeping an eye out for trouble.  The story stays here just long enough to get the scenario set and characters developed, then  jumps to Minnesota, with a completely different thread and set of characters.  It’s a testament to King’s skill that he’s able to do this.  He creates interest in an ordinary situation and location, gets it all developed, and then shifts gears to something completely unrelated, but no less interesting.  Phase 2 focuses on Luke Ellis, a child genius. who at the age of 12 is taking the entrance exams to MIT, the country’s most famous genius farm.  Luke is kidnapped and his parents killed one night, and he wakes up in a lockdown hospital/research unit in northern Maine known as The Institute.  Luke and the other children are subjected to various tests, beatings and tortures, as their captors seek to exploit extra-sensory abilities that most of the kids didn’t even know they had.  Of course, their handlers have their own nefarious reasons for their actions.  Eventually, the Maine and South Carolina threads tie together, and the story barrels through a thrilling conclusion.

As often happens with King, this one is yet ANOTHER page turner that is hard to put down.  A great deal of King’s skill lies in making any character at all seem interesting and worth the reader getting emotionally attached to.  Even the minor characters, like security guards and homeless people are completely developed, and you want to know what happens to them, no matter how small their role in the story.  The dialogue is perfect, whether the characters are southerners or New Englanders.  King clearly does his research, and gets all the little nuances and mannerisms perfect when the characters are conversing or taking actions.  The other area where he shines, as always, is in creating settings that make perfect sense, down to the last detail.  Everything fits, whether it’s detailing an escape plan or describing the methods used to physically and mentally abuse children.  He never leaves room for unbelievability, it all seems completely plausible.  King’s unequaled skill at all of the above is the main reason he’s been on top of the mountain for so long.  Of course, none of this matters unless the story is exciting, and it is.  It’s a fast burn of a story, and maintains a quick clip through its 500 plus pages.  There are no sections that drag, it all flies fast and keeps you turning pages.

The Institute is yet another winner from the author with the most consistent track record of excellence in American literary history.  If you’re a King fan, you’ll like it, and non-fans would also be likely to enjoy this one.

Recommended.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson