The Green Mile, Stephen King

[Vorchia]

A famous book that has been recommended many times over and has even been said to be a religious, life changing book to some...
I was a bit surprised its only from 1996... It seems I've been hearing people mention it as a classic since forever and the word 'classic' tends to associate with 'antique' in my mind.
Its quite captivating, I went trough in about 24 hours though I don't usually read thrillers, especially not if they're bloody. (And yes that is because I am a whimp.)

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the book

The Green Mile (1996) is a serial novel by Stephen King, later republished with all six volumes in a trade paperback.

More or less as a challenge, Stephen King published this story as a serial in six parts. Just as in Charles Dickens' time, the story was crafted while the book was already in production. In keeping with the serial concept, the first edition consists of six thin, low-priced paperbacks.

Since it first appeared, The Green Mile has been republished as a single volume. The first edition contains a section where the narrator speaks directly to the reader; the later edition contains an additional foreword. The novel was left otherwise untouched, though King did change one passage where a character in a straitjacket wipes his brow (a mistake that initially slipped past both him and his editor).

The novel was adapted by Frank Darabont for the screenplay of a feature film of the same name in 1999, directed by Darabont, starring Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecombe and Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey.

Volumes of The Green Mile
Volume 1: Two Dead Girls (released March 28, 1996)
Volume 2: The Mouse on the Mile (released April 25, 1996)
Volume 3: Coffey's Hands (released May 30, 1996)
Volume 4: The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix (released June 27, 1996)
Volume 5: Night Journey (released July 25, 1996)
Volume 6: Coffey on the Mile (released August 29, 1996)

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The main characters are three people on death row and their warders. The book has a clear narrative voice belonging to the captain of the guard, Paul Edgecombe. "The Green Mile" is the corridor from the cells where the prisoners live to the execution room beyond Edgecombe's office. Similar corridors leading to execution rooms at other prisons are called the "last mile". The linoleum flooring of this corridor is green, hence "Green Mile". The story takes place in the 1930s (the book in 1932 and the film in 1935), but there is also a framing plot where Paul is shown as an old man in a nursing home, trying to exorcise the ghosts of his past through writing.

The three prisoners come to the prison at about the same time. The story centers on John Coffey, a seven-foot black man who is convicted of raping and killing two small girls. He is notable because of his size and also for his strange behaviour — he is very quiet and prefers to keep to himself, he weeps almost constantly, and is afraid of the dark. Coffey is described as "knowing his own name and not much else", and lacks the ability to so much as tie a knot, yet he is convicted of luring the girls away from their home while eluding the watchdog, requiring careful planning and abilities he would not be expected to have. He's also one of the calmest and mildest prisoners the warders have ever seen. Besides John Coffey, there are two other prisoners on the cell block during the period the book focuses on. One of them, Eduard Delacroix, a convicted arsonist, rapist, and murderer, is small and cowardly (the actions which led to his conviction being described as "the only crime he had in him"). The other, William Wharton, is tough and boasting, claiming to be a modern Billy the Kid.

The story also features Mr. Jingles, a small and unnaturally intelligent mouse who befriends Delacroix. The mouse learns various tricks and appears to follow commands; Delacroix insists that the mouse whispers things in his ear.

Over time, the warders realize that there is something else special about John Coffey, as he is revealed to possess mystical healing abilities.

Despite my hatred of paranormal stuff, which plays a rather large role as John Coffey posesses paranormal abilities I couldn't help but read...
The wardens realise John Coffey couldn't have killed the girls, and that there's circumstantial evidence strongly pointing to someone else but nothing can be proven and the case can't be re-opened. So then they have to execute him knowing he didn't do it, after this, several wardens quit the job.
Its good, its a bit shocking at some points but thats the whole point of a thriller novel of course.
The Christianity symbolism is so strong even I could recognise it. (All should faint in pure shock now)
There's a nice dissection of the symjbolism here: The Green Mile: Revisiting the Life and Death of Jesus

Given the amount of religious people and the history of religious debate on this baord I most sincerely hope to draw some attention to my bookforum with this!!!!

[Azonthus]

Hmmmm.... I've seen the movie, but I didn't see any symbolism in it. Maybe I need to actually get around to reading the book;) I've never read a Stephen King novel, so maybe this will be my first. We'll see.

[Vorchia]

The movie according to its critics was very well done with great acting work but lost most of teh symbolism that was in the book.
I never read a Stephen King book before either, it seems this one is unique among his writings though, they're usually more science fiction-ish.