[Please note: this review contains spoilers. It's hard to talk about it without them. Sorry.]
So, Stephen, we meet again!
I have so much respect for Stephen King and so little patience for people who have never read his books but just assume he's a pulp fiction writer who churns out the same stuff year after year after year. I also find it extremely amusing that someone called 'King' has managed to achieve, in his lifetime, the recognition that he is in fact the king of something (horror, in this case).
The first book I read by SK was Gerald's Game, as previously mentioned. The second was On Writing, a fantastic non-fiction book, half autobiography and half creative writing lecture, and if you've ever considered trying your hand at writing anything, ever, read it, for the love of god. The third book was Danse Macabre, a 400-page treatise on the genre of horror and despite my dislike for the genre, this was a totally captivating read. (A random selection at the charity shop.)
... And so we arrive to Pet Sematary - finally something that, you know, he is actually known for.
Casually described in the introduction by the King himself as "the most frightening book I've ever written", you're set up to have a ball. The Creed family moves into a large, gorgeous family home - all is well, except for the creepy pet cemetery up the hill at the back of the house. Word gets around it's more than it seems. Nightmares begin. Rumours are heard. And then the family cat gets hit by a truck...
What did I like about it?
SK is SUCH a good writer that even though the chills are running up and down your spine, you can't help but lazy about on his beautiful sentences: "Somewhere there was a drip of water and above them, like a steady river in a bed of sky, the monotonous whine of the wind." He is artfully terrifying. Come to think of it, when one hasn't read a horror book, one wonders how on earth a book could possibly be scary. This is how: "The swing door opened and let in shadows. One of the shadows was more substantial than the others. Dear God, that stink. Shuffling steps in the darkness." (Cue violins)
Some characters were shallower than others, but I thought the hero (hardly), Louis, was very well constructed, if not realistic. His incredible resistance to believe the facts, his denial of the things happening around him, his complete inability to lie - it all made for someone I loved to hate. From the first pages, really, you dislike him, after his little fantasy of abandoning his family on the side of the road; but it comes and goes in waves. You still care, somehow.
There were some truly terrifying elements of the book, but the worst of the worst was Louis' wife's dead sister, Zelda. She suffered from spinal meningitis, and her contracted body, her blackened face, her fists like claws and the loss of her sanity all contribute to one horrifying picture. And kids, that's why I won't be watching the film.
What was I not massively fond of?
Okay, I have to admit there were some significant points I noted won. First, basically, it was quite long. A little too long. Lots of building up and then over in a flash. I felt I deserved more after 300 pages of 'here it comes... any second now... '.
I felt SK asked a little too much for us to believe sometimes. So many things were glided over, little impossible things just put down in front of us, claiming it was magic. Such as, and here comes the spoiler, after Louis' young son Gage comes back from the grave - mind you, how old was he? Four, tops? - he murders two fully grown adults with ease. With a scalpel. His mom, okay I believe, she was distressed. But a grown-ass, robust old man? I don't think so.
Another stumbling block that just didn't work for me was the way to the burial ground - despite all efforts, it just seemed a bit lazy. Scary laughs in the dark? Oh, you bet if that happened to me I'd be wetting myself, but reading it in a book didn't feel powerful enough. (Again, this is why I'm not watching the film.) Not to mention the slightly overused element of 'OMG it wasn't a dream'.
There was also a lot of relying on the supporting character, Jud. He was the teller of stories, the clarifier of confusions, the well-wishers and know-it-alls. But he is still super loveable.
One more point, Mr King - don't kill the cat. And if you had to, don't go and make him the evil guy. He's not the one to blame for this.
Overall...
This book wouldn't be as enjoyable, I think, if it wasn't for SK's incredibly readable and enjoyable style. But then, just because I didn't find this scary at the time of reading, it doesn't mean my stomach didn't turn when the neighbour banged his door just now upstairs.
I'm alone tonight. Send help.
6/10
PS. Here's the link to the Facebook page of SK's to-die-for doggie, Molly aka The Thing of Evil. You're welcome.
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