The Green Mile by Stephen King - Book Review

Whilst most death row units call the final walk a convicted felon must take the last mile, Cold Mountain Penitentiary called theirs the green mile, because of the lime-green linoleum it had.

Paul Edgecombe worked as the unit’s supervisor back in ’32; the year of Eduard Delacroix, Arlen Bitterbuck and William “Billy the Kid” Wharton, a kid bent on creating as much trouble as possible for Death Row’s seasoned staff. 

But 1936 was also the year of John Coffey, a two-metre tall monster, convicted of raping and murdering two young white girls. But things begin to look out of place, as Edgecombe soon senses more to the man than a callous murderer.

As the truth slowly begins to emerge, Paul finds himself in a race against time to prove that sometimes, the guilty may just be innocent after all. But is he really?  

I wasn’t one of the fortunate few that enjoyed this novel the way the author intended, as a serial released a piece at a time. But when I did finally read it several years later, boy was I amazed.

I’m not sure if I could have held out, waiting for each new piece of the story to ship. I read the whole story over 2 days, the ending culminating in a mix of tears, anger and sadness. Although not one of his longer tales, the book still holds, for me at least, a genuine place among his greatest works.

The story drives along at a constant speed, keeping you guessing as to whether Coffey is innocent or not. The ending that does eventually find you is not one I ever expected, a definite bonus to a story I enjoyed from the very first page.

As with some of his other period work, King draws an amazing landscape from yesteryear, bringing to life a world long forgotten. This book, however, will live on in your mind for many years to come, sure to be a repeat journey for many.