I'll say this much, this section certainly lives up to the title. I wondered before why the blurb on the back of these editions tried to hype this as a ghastly tale of horror. This gives us something of an answer. While what happens to Delacroix isn't "scary", it is ghastly and rather horrifying in its gruesomeness.
The chapter that chronicles this debacle is the longest in the section, maybe even in the book as a whole. As such, it has plenty of room to describe what happens when you screw up an execution by electrocution. You can't blame the guards or the onlookers for being mortified at what they witnessed. It's not a pretty ordeal.
Hard as it may be to believe, this showcases Percy's penchant for cruelty much more than stomping on Mr. Jingles did.
Speaking of, Mr. Jingles is revived courtesy of John Coffey. Given his ability, you knew it was going to happen. While it does undercut the potency of the last section's closing scene, I was happy to see the little guy back up and running, even if he does make a quick departure from the narrative soon after.
Not only does this scene play a pivotal role in setting up what Paul is going to attempt in the next section, but it also shows that there are limits on Coffey's power. While it's unclear if it is the result of the extent of the mouse's injuries or a delay in the attempt (the text lends credence to the latter as Coffey himself tells them to hurry up before it's too late,) Mr. Jingles' recovery isn't complete. The fact that he's still alive is miraculous enough, no doubt, but it is explicitly stated that he has a pronounced limp, showing that perfect success isn't guaranteed.
Once again, the early portion shows us Paul's life in the retirement home. Considering that these booklets are only 80 or so pages, a part of me wants to argue that the 10 pages would be better spent telling the main story. It doesn't seem like much, but given the limited space, every page matters.
Credit where it's due, this section justifies the pretense much better, drawing a thematic parallel between life in the home and the jail. It can get a little on the nose, as an orderly reminds Paul of Percy, but there was still effort made on that front, which was appreciated.
We're coming up on the penultimate volume in this serial. Said volume will show us the crew attempting to break Coffey out of prison so that he can save the life of a sick woman. I do like the fact that the characters bring up the seemingly more sensible idea of just bringing her to him. It still seems like the easier route, but at least it shows that the characters are thinking.
The first section was a little weak, but this has been a very smooth read so far. I'm actually liking having it broken up into smaller pieces. Sure, there's still about 150 pages left, but the way it's been going so far, it should be a fairly brisk read.
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