In my own opinion, Annie Wilkes is one of the most memorable, spine-chilling and utterly petrifying  Stephan King characters. Annie is the main antagonist of the story, she is a brutal woman doing the absolute worst to Paul to get what she wants. Annie hides her malice behind her cherry façade. Annie suffers from extremely unpredictable mood swings, going from extreme highs, showering Paul with kindness and love, to extreme lows within a heartbeat, inflicting immense pain on Paul without experiencing any guilt or even remorse.

Annie is a highly obsessive character, obsessing over Paul's famous femme, fatal Misery Chastain. Annie, over the years of reading the Misery Chastain novels, has grown so obsessed with Paul's renowned character that she will do absolutely anything to get the ending she wants, no matter the costs. Annie is an awfully homicidal and angry character, lashing out on Paul when she feels any bit of anger. Paul, on the other hand, is highly resilient, fighting through long periods of extreme pain and suffering.

Paul's physical and psychological journey throughout the novel is intense and compelling. Paul is an extremely smart character, so smart he's even able to outsmart Annie in the end. Paul is a creative character, being able to write gripping tales with his typewriter, bringing his characters to live as he does so.

Misery has extremely dark themes littered throughout the pages of this novel, this novel shows the dark side of human nature through the character of Annie. Misery coveys the concept of an obsessed fan, showing the genuinely toxic relationship between some fans and celebrities and the possessiveness some fans hold over their favourite celebrity. One of the main recurring themes in Misery is addiction.

Paul suffers from a prominent alcohol addiction and, as the novel progresses, develops a raging drug addiction as he becomes reliant on drugs, using them as an escapism from the extreme pain he struggles with but also as a way to escape the Annie and the gruesome situation he has found himself in. There is a reoccurring theme of dehumanisation throughout the novel where Annie constantly dehumanises Paul by forcing him to do some horrific things, which Paul has no choice over as his life is in danger.

There is a theme of isolation and imprisonment as Paul is held captive in Annie's secluded house, tucked away from the rest of the world, away from any help. Paul is physically trapped in the house, unable to move and unable to escape.

Stephan King's writing in "Misery" is extremely captivating throughout the novel. The tension displayed throughout the book is uttering amazing and anxiety-inducing. The book jumps between slow, claustrophobic dread and panic-inducing build-up to sudden bursts of action and conflict between Annie and Paul. Throughout the novel, you get excerpts of "Misery's Return" the book in which Paul has to write in order to survive.

This adds layers to the narrative of the book and also shows the writing process and, creative burnouts and burdens of writers. King reveals Paul's internal monologues in times of intense pain and struggle, this helps us understand Paul more as a character and helps us connect with him more as we get to understand the pain and fears that he experiences. By doing this, King is showing us Paul's suffering, not telling us.

In my opinion, "Misery" is one of King's finest works and my personal favourite out of all the Stephan King books I've read. The writing style used throughout the novel is extraordinarily captivating and gripping, keeping me hooked and entertained throughout, but at the same time, the writing style is exceptionally anxiety-inducing in moments of tension build-up. King's writing is extremely successful.

This book is remarkably gruesome, nauseating and grim at times, going into extreme detail of the wounds inflicted by Annie. The characters are developed really well, with Annie being sweet and kind during the start of the novel for taking Paul in and looking after him, quickly taking a turn for the worst showing her true darker self as the novel progresses.

In conclusion, "Misery" is a brilliant, captivating and highly unsettling tale of pain and suffering and how obsession can descend into madness. "Misery" is a highly thought-provoking and engaging read as it explores the darker sides of human nature and psychology and how extreme someone can go to protect the thing they so derailing love and obsesses over. "Misery" is a must-read novel. I highly recommend it.