Holly Gibney

Holly Gibney is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King. Originally appearing in the Bill Hodges trilogy of novels (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch), she later appears as a major supporting character in The Outsider and as the main character in "If It Bleeds", a novella included in the collection of the same name, and the novel Holly. She has been portrayed on screen by Justine Lupe in the television adaptation of the Hodges trilogy and by Cynthia Erivo in the miniseries adaptation of The Outsider. Justine Lupe also narrates the audiobook version of the 2023 novel, Holly.

Holly Gibney
Cynthia Erivo as Holly Gibney in The Outsider (2020) and Justine Lupe as Holly Gibney in Mr. Mercedes (2017)
First appearance
Last appearance
Created byStephen King
Portrayed byJustine Lupe (2017–19; 2023)
Cynthia Erivo (2020)
In-universe information
GenderFemale
OccupationPrivate investigator
RelativesCharlotte Gibney (mother)
Janelle "Janey" Patterson (cousin)
Olivia Trelawney (cousin)

Character biography

King has characterized Gibney as "an obsessive compulsive with a huge inferiority complex".[1] She has been described as "very observant, refreshingly unfiltered and unaware of her innocence"[2] with "savant-like memory, razor sharp observation skills", as well as "a computer whiz".[3] She first appeared in Mr. Mercedes, where she is first shown as a shy (but brave and ethical) recluse with many emotional issues and social awkwardness. By the end of Mr. Mercedes her intelligence and courage play a major role in assisting main protagonist, Bill Hodges, to bring down the villain.[4] In Finders Keepers she has evolved into a private detective in partnership with Hodges.[5][3] In Holly, Gibney returns as a solo private detective.[6]

Characterization in The Outsider miniseries

Richard Price, the developer and showrunner of the miniseries adaptation of The Outsider reworked the character to some extent, without keeping the continuity with the Mr. Mercedes TV series or Bill Hodges novels (Price did not watch the series or read the novels), and asked Stephen King to rename the character, but King insisted on keeping the name Holly Gibney.[7]

Reception

King has gone on record as loving the character, saying in a 2020 NPR interview: "I just love Holly, and I wish she were a real person. [...] She just walked on in the first book she was in, Mr. Mercedes, and she more or less stole the book, and she stole my heart."[8] King himself has described Gibney character as an idealized fictional woman.[9] In his book If It Bleeds, he went on to praise the character even further.[10]

References
  1. Stephen King Is Sorry You Feel Like You're Stuck In A Stephen King Novel
  2. Hamman, Cody (March 3, 2022). "Stephen King just finished writing a novel about Holly Gibney from Mr. Mercedes and The Outsider".
  3. "Holly Gibney". The Thrilling Detective Web Site. May 19, 2019.
  4. Ruszin, Ricky (May 27, 2022). "Why Holly Gibney Is One of TV's Best Protagonists". Collider.
  5. Collis, Clark (January 23, 2023). "Read an exclusive excerpt from Stephen King's new novel 'Holly'". EW.com.
  6. King, Stephen (5 September 2023). Holly. ISBN 978-1-6680-1613-8 – via www.simonandschuster.com.
  7. Maglio, Tony (January 15, 2020). "Here's the One Thing Stephen King Put His Foot Down About for HBO's 'The Outsider'". TheWrap. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  8. Gross, Terry (8 April 2020). "Stephen King is Sorry You Feel Like You're Stuck in a Stephen King Novel". NPR.org.
  9. Wright, Catherine (April 24, 2020). "Stephen King Really Loves His Own Character From 'The Outsider', Holly Gibney: 'I'm So Crazy About Her'". Cheatsheet.com. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  10. King, Stephen (April 21, 2020). If It Bleeds. Scribner. ISBN 978-1-9821-5029-7.
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