In a unique instance of truth being stranger than fiction, early one morning in 1991, Eric Keene of San Antonio, Texas, broke into the King's Bangor home. He threatened Tabitha King with a "detonator"—actually cardboard with some calculator parts—and stormed his way into the attic office, where he insisted that Stephen King help him write a book. Later, Keene pled not guilty by reason of insanity. The Kings have installed various security devices; they also have another home and a cabin which locations are not publicly known.

While this happened four years after Misery, King has obviously had much experience with the perils of fandom. While some would assert that break-ins, mob scenes, and riots are the natural consequence of success, King seems to believe that success tends to bring out the madness in others. In this psychological novel, King examines the pathology of fanatics, those whose adoration becomes violence. He also tells, from his own experience, the effects of success on the writer: the inundation of public attention, the drive to break out of the genre rut, the doubts that plagues all writers: "Can you do it?"

1. King reflects, in an interview regarding his rock & roll career with the "Remainders," that talented people are made into famous people; famous people are made into celebrities, and "celebs" lose their identity as fans project what a celeb's character, likes/ dislikes should be. How does Misery reflect these pressures?

2. What layers of irony are apply to the word "misery" in this novel?

3. The epigraphs for Misery are "Goddess" and "Africa." How does he use these words to call upon our cultural assumptions and experiences of these "exotic" terms to set the tone for the novel?

4. King's early novels had a reputation for two-dimensional female characters who die before the end of the story. Annie Wilkes is a much more delineated character, as she is half of a two-character novel. How is she a realistic character? How is she exaggerated? Reasonable? Insane? Compare this with Kathy Bates's award-winning portrayal of Annie.

5. Paul Sheldon is one of many writers-in-crisis who inhabit King's novels. What do Paul's experiences teach him about the craft of writing? About critical and popular acclaim?