The Green Mile

Title: The Green Mile

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 1996

Date read: 5th June 2020

Score: 5/5

Genre: Fantasy, Psychological, Thriller, Supernatural

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Green Mile" by Stephen King, originally published in 1996 as a serialized novel and later as a single volume, is a powerful and poignant work of magical realism and moral drama, set on death row during the Great Depression.

The story is narrated by Paul Edgecombe, a former corrections officer recalling his time working on "the Green Mile"—the nickname given to E Block at Cold Mountain Penitentiary, the stretch of linoleum leading to the electric chair, or "Old Sparky." His memories center on 1932.

A new inmate arrives on the Mile: John Coffey, a massive, seemingly simple-minded black man convicted of the brutal rape and murder of two young white girls. Despite his intimidating size, Coffey is gentle, fearful of the dark, and deeply distressed by the suffering in the world.

Edgecombe and his fellow guards, including the empathetic Brutus "Brutal" Howell and the cruel Percy Wetmore, soon discover that Coffey possesses an extraordinary, supernatural gift. He has the ability to absorb pain, sickness, and evil from others, healing them with a touch, often spitting out a dark, living cloud of what he has absorbed.

Coffey performs several "miracles" within the prison, healing Edgecombe's urinary tract infection, resurrecting a mouse named Mr. Jingles, and curing the warden's wife of a brain tumor. These acts deeply challenge the guards' perceptions and force them to grapple with the profound moral dilemma of executing a man who seems to be a vessel of divine grace, despite the heinous crime he was convicted of.

The novel explores themes of justice, injustice, the death penalty, racial prejudice, empathy, and the nature of true evil versus perceived evil. It contrasts Coffey's purity and miraculous abilities with the inherent cruelty and flaws of the human judicial system and the depravity of some individuals.

As Coffey's execution date approaches, Edgecombe and his colleagues are torn between their duty and their growing conviction that an innocent, possibly saintly, man is about to die. The climax involves their desperate attempt to prove Coffey's innocence or at least understand the truth of his past, leading to heartbreaking choices and a profound realization about the true perpetrator of the crime. "The Green Mile" is a deeply emotional and morally complex tale about faith, miracles, and the enduring burden of witnessing profound injustice.

Comments:
Despite knowing the story from seeing the film version years ago, this book really moved me. I am always impressed by King as I work my way through his work in order of publication. This is on another level, morally and spiritually. Please read it.

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)