Christine Art
Works / Novels

Christine

Christine Art

Released

April 29th, 1983

Available Format(s)

Hardcover / Paperback

Publisher

Viking Press

A love triangle involving 17-year-old misfit Arnie Cunningham, his new girlfriend and a haunted 1958 Plymouth Fury. Dubbed Christine by her previous owner, Arnie's first car is jealous, possessive and deadly. 

From the Flap

Scene: a middle-class suburb of Pittsburgh.

Time: 1978.

Cast of characters: Arnie Cunningham, a bookish and bullied high school senior; Dennis Guilder, his friend and sometimes protector; Leigh Cabot, the new girl in school, won by Arnie...but wanted by Dennis as well.

Just another lovers' triangle, you say? Not quite. There's a fourth here, the second lady, the dark lady. "Cars are girls," Leigh Cabot says, and the dark force in Stephen King's new novel is a 1958 Plymouth named Christine.

She is no ordinary car, this white-over-red two-toned survivor of a time when high-test gasoline was priced at a quarter a gallon and speedometers were calibrated all the way up to a hundred and twenty miles an hour...a time when rock and roll in all its first crude power ruled America...a time when speed was king.

Arnie Cunningham is determined to have Christine at any price, and little by little, Dennis and Leigh begin to suspect that the price of his growing obsession may be terrifyingly high, its result blackly evil. as Arnie sets feverishly to work on the seemingly hopeless job of resorting Christine, Christine begins to develop a terrible life of her own. Or is that only imagination? Dennis continues to hope so...and then people begin to die on Libertyville's dark suburban streets and roads...and the time comes when Dennis can no longer deny the horrifying truth: Christine is alive.

In Christine, Stephen King has returned to the full-fledged novel of supernatural horror for the first time since The Shining. It will keep readers up late...and will have them looking both ways as they cross the street after dark.

Inspiration

One night as I was turning into my driveway, I saw the odometer numbers on my car turn from 9999.9 to 10,000. I found myself wondering if there might not be a story in an odometer that ran backward-the car, I thought, would get "younger" instead of older, finally collapsing into its component parts. The next day I started writing it. I thought it would be a funny short story-a kind of American Graffiti. Instead, a fairly long novel came out, a supernatural tale about girlfriends, boyfriends, and Christine.

Characters

Hide List Show List
Name
Description
Captain Beefheart
Cat that Dennis Guilder owned that was killed by a truck.
Christine
A 1958 red Plymouth Fury with a taste for death.
Screaming Jay Hawkins
Cat of the Guilder family
?, Bruce
Cousin of Leigh Cabot
?, Pammie
Girl in an x-rated magazine
?, Ralph
Man who abused Arnie and Dennis when Christine got a flat tire outside his house.
?, Roseanne
Girlfriend of Dennis Guilder before he met Leigh Cabot
?, Sid
Brother of Mrs Guilder
?, Steve
Uncle of Dennis Guilder. Husband of Vicki
?, Vicky
Wife of Steve. Sister of Regina Cunningham
Ackerman, ?
Husband of Leigh Ackerman
Ackerman, Leigh
Married name of Leigh Cabot
Aleppo, Norman
Broke his arm playing football for Libertyville
Anderson, Poochie
Acquaintance of Roland LeBay
Arroway, Dr.
Doctor of Dennis Guilder
Barlow, Gerry
Acquaintance of Roland LeBay
Barongg, Lenny
Played Football for Libertyville
Bellerman, Marty
At Libertyville High School
Bellerman, Sonny
Acquaintance of Roland LeBay
Billingham, Nick
Friend of Moochie Welch
Blackford, ?
Neighbour of the Guilder family
Buck, Henry
Used car dealer
Cabot, Leigh
Arnie's girlfriend, and eventually one of the ones that helps kill Christine
Cabot, Mr
Father of Leigh
Cabot, Natalie
Mother of Leigh.
Callison, Lou
14-year-old friend of the Guilder family
Carruthers, Aimee
Friend of Ellie Guilder
Carson, ?
Brothers who owned a roadwork company that Arnie Cunningham and Dennis Guilder worked for
Cobb, Norman
Plymouth dealer where Roland LeBay bought Christine
Cunningham, Arnold Richard (Arnie)
The nerd who was seduced and destroyed by Christine.
Cunningham, Michael
Father of Arnie
Cunningham, Regina
Mother of Arnie.
Dann, Fred
Played football for Libertyville. Went off in one game with concussion
Darlington, Freddy
Went to school with Dennis Guilder until he got his girlfriend pregnant
Darnell, Will
Owned Darnell's Used Auto Parts where Arnie stored and worked on Christine
Deckinger, Tommy
Picked on Arnie Cunningham. Killed by Christine
Dingle, Everett
Friend of Will Darnell. Murdered his family
Dodd, Milton
Boyfriend of Elaine Guilder
Donahue, Pat
Ran Gino's pizza place
Emerson, David
Ran Libertyville furniture store
Farner, Dr.
Roland LeBay's doctor
Fassenbach, ?
Friend of the Cunningham family
Fenderson, Mr.
Math teacher at Libertyville High
Gabbs, ?
Worked on his car at Darnell's
Galton, (Sander) Sandy
Friend of Buddy Repperton. Picked on Arnie Cunningham. Parking Lot attendant. Killed by Christine
Gilman, Roger
Beat up Arnie Cunningham and is now in Jail. A friend of Buddy Repperton
Gitney, ?
IRS agent
Gottfried, Barry
A hitchhiker who saved the life of Leigh Cabot when she choked in Christine
Guilder, Dennis
Arnie's friend that ended up destroying Christine
Guilder, Elaine
14-year-old sister of Dennis.
Guilder, Kenny
Father of Dennis. Tax consultant for H&R Block
Guilder, Mrs.
Mother of Dennis. Oral hygienist
Haskins, Wanda
Girlfriend of Will Darnell
Hatch, Mr.
Worked on his car at Darnell's
Hicks, Mike
Chess club member
Hodder, Mr.
Grammar teacher at Libertyville High
Hurling, Brandon
First date for Elaine Guilder
James, Stukey
Math teacher at Libertyville High
Jeffries, Brad
Foreman for Carson Brothers
Jones, Coach
Basketball coach at Libertyville
Junkins, Rudy
State cop that told Michael Cunningham about the murder of Moochie Welch. He then kept an eye on Arnie, but was killed in auto crash
LeBay, ?
Father of Roland. Drunk
LeBay, Drew
Brother of Roland who was killed in France in 1944
LeBay, George
Brother of Roland. Retired school teacher that gives Dennis Guilder some interesting information about Christine
LeBay, Marcia
Sister of Roland
LeBay, Rita
Daughter of Roland. Choked to death in Christine
LeBay, Roland D.
The man who sold Christine to Arnie. Wicked and mean, but at least he came back to visit Arnie - After he died!
LeBay, Veronica
Wife of Roland. Committed suicide in Christine
Leheureux, Mr.
French teacher at Libertyville High
Lothrop, Ms.
Discipline officer at Libertyville High
Mascia, Dr.
Arnie Cunningham's doctor
McCandless, Richard
American Legion Post secretary
McCarthy, Chubby
Football announcer
McNally, Brian
Played football for Libertyville
Meecham, Mr.
Principal at Libertyville High
Mercer, ?
Father of Rick. A cop who committed suicide
Mercer, Rick
Pennsylvania state police detective
Mustungerra, Roy
Sold tires for United Auto Parts
Pederson, ?
Kid at Libertyville High
Pomberton, Johnny
Bought and sold used trucks, and loaned Dennis Guilder the truck he used to kill Christine
Puffer, Coach
Football coach at Libertyville High
Purvis, Melvin
Cop who committed suicide
Qualson, Barry
Chess club member
Raypach, Miss
Teacher at Libertyville High
Renneke, Dinah
Friend of Elaine Guilder
Repperton, Clarence (Buddy)
School tough guy who was kicked out of school for pulling a knife of Arnie Cunningham
Shambliss, Carolyn
A friend of Elaine Guilder that told her that you could light your farts
Slawson, Herbert
Chess club organizer
Smolnack, Mr.
Shop teacher at Libertyville High
Smythe, Ladd
Patrol-Boy that picked on Arnie Cunningham
Sprague, Tom
Cunningham family lawyer
Stanton, Bobby
Friend of Buddy Repperton
Stewart, Mr.
Mentioned in passing
Stork
Nickname of the person that Kenny Guilder went off the school with
Strickland, Paul
Friend of Michael Cunningham
Stroughman, Ned
Asked Leigh Cabot out on a date, but was turned down
Sykes, Jimmy
Helps out at Darnell's. Slightly mentally challenged
Sykes, Mrs.
Mother of Jimmy
Symond, ?
Owner of a swimming pool in Libertyville
Tardiff, Gary
Played football for Libertyville
Thompson, Mr.
American history teacher at Libertyville High
Throgmorton, Randy
Died after beating up Roland LeBay. Fell through thin ice
Trelawney, Richie
Friend of Buddy Repperton
Turner, Randy
Saw the fight between Buddy Repperton and Arnie Cunningham
Upshaw, Amber
Wife of William
Upshaw, William (Bill)
Does the tax returns for William Darnell
Vandenberg, Don
Friend of Buddy Repperton
Vandenberg, Mr.
Father of Don. Owner of Vandenburg's Happy Gas
Vickers, Mr.
School Guidance Councellor
Warberg, Jim
Criminal lawyer who took Arnie Cunningham's case
Welch, Peter (Moochie)
Friend of Buddy Repperton
Youngerman, Quent
Friend of Will Darnell
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