Review | The Institute by Stephen King

A gifted child, Luke is 12 years old but already has big plans for his future. Things change when one day he wakes up in a room that looks exactly like his own, but clearly is not. He’s been taken to The Institute where he meets other gifted children. They are contained in the Front Half of the institution where they go through checkups, testings and experiments. Eventually, Luke learns, they will be taken to the Back Half where no child has ever come back.

With his new friends Kalisha, Nick, George, Irish and Avery, Luke has to figure out a way to survive and if possible, to escape. But how can a group of children fight against the monstrous director Mrs Sigby and her cruel, sadistic staff?

Great events turn on small hinges.

After the lacklustre Elevation and disappointing The Outsider I’m happy to say that The Institute is Stephen King’s return to form! The book delivers the familiar intricate storytelling that I enjoy. From the close-knit group of children to terrifying villains to a strong, decent hero, this book is reminiscent of his earlier work, only updated to reflect current events. Some readers may balk at the overt political references and sure, there’s nothing subtle about the parallels between the treatment of children in the book to the treatment of children in real life. But I didn’t feel it detract from the story – in fact, it further shows how horrific their situations are.

Luke as a main character is interesting but Avery, a child prodigy with telepathic abilities, stole my heart. I think he’s one of the best child characters in all of King’s books. I found the relationships between the children lively, moving and yes, heartbreaking. The book isn’t afraid to show them going through the absolute worst and makes it hard to read at times. The villains are suitably terrifying in the mundane, casual way they go about tormenting the children. You can’t help but really want them to pay for their crimes. The hero, Tim Jamieson, is a man with a difficult past who doesn’t hesitate to step up and do the right thing. While the ending is a point of contention for some readers, to me is just right. There is no easy solution and I appreciate that.

What kept me from giving five stars is that the child characters sometimes don’t sound real because they talk about stuff from before their time. I get that they’re geniuses but they’re still young. So them referring to 90s shows, for example, kind of makes no sense. There’s also the familiarity in the telepathic/telekinesis storylines that I’ve seen before.

For a huge book, I flew through it and was left with a sense of loss at the end. I wanted more, and I think it’s a mark of a good book when you don’t want it to end. Overall, The Institute is a strong, solid entry in the Stephen King universe. If there’s a sequel count me in!

About the author: Stephen King

Photo by Kyle Jewell