Carrie

Stephen King published his first novel in April 1974, introducing readers to Carrie White, a sixteen-year-old girl living in Chamberlain, Maine. She endures a life of isolation under the strict control of her mother Margaret, a woman driven by fanatical religious beliefs. The narrative begins when Carrie experiences her first menstruation in the school shower, an event that triggers both physical confusion and social humiliation from her peers.

Bullying escalates until Sue Snell feels remorse for her part in the torment and arranges for her boyfriend Tommy Ross to escort Carrie to the senior prom. This plan unravels when Chris Hargensen, rejected by Tommy, teams up with Billy Nolan to stage a prank at the dance. They dump pig's blood on Carrie just as she is crowned Prom Queen, sparking her latent telekinetic abilities into a violent frenzy that destroys the gymnasium and kills everyone inside.

The story ends with a government investigation called the White Commission and a letter from an orphanage hinting that another child might possess similar powers. King drew inspiration for the character from two girls he knew in school: one who wore the same clothes every day due to poverty and another raised in a fundamentalist home. The original hardcover edition sold modestly, but the mass-market paperback released in April 1975 became a bestseller. [modifier]