Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Pet Sematary

"I don't wanna be buried in a pet sematary,
I don't want to live my life again."
-The Ramones

Louis Creed has moved his family from Chicago to Maine for a job. The house is idyllic with one exception, the road out front is a throughway for very large tanker trucks. When Louis's daughter's cat, Church, is hit by one of these trucks, the neighbor, Jud, shows Louis what to do. They bury Church in the real pet cemetery, a place where the dead don't stay dead. Church comes back not quite right, but he's definitely back. So, when Louis's 2 year old son gets hit by a different truck, Louis does the unthinkable.

I first read this book back in high school and I remember finishing it and being terrified to be home alone. This time around it was just as eerie, but 20 years has given me some perspective. The trope of the "ancient Indian burial ground" is definitely outdated and a little more than gross as is the use of a Wendigo. But the imagery of everything is still spooky.

I really liked Jud and the relationship he had with Louis. It is always nice to see wholesome relationships between men and I feel like King always does a good job at that. The same with the relationship with the other doctors at the University.

There's a lot of good here, but there is a lot of cringe too. Oh, god the bathtub scene. I forgot it was in this book.

Content Warnings

asparagushead's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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bomenvernietiger's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This isn't a book it's a depression machine. Jesus Christ Stephen. Incredible

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aleesquer's review against another edition

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4.0

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ycboots's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was certainly written in 1983, and readers should be aware of that when going in--ymmv on the amount you can handle of typical Stephen King misogyny (though I personally found it on the lesser side of the scale of "grating" in his books), + as you can imagine, there are issues with his handling of native mythology and peoples (

of course we have the classic "indian burial ground" as a key plot element, though I found it less egregious than it might have been due to the micmac people being just one people who came across this awful place over time, and a wendigo, or the idea of one, is present. From my understanding, folks with the wendigo as a part of their cultural story do not generally approve of the use of this figure by outsiders, especially in a horror/shock value context

).

That aside (a phrase I use not to dismiss concerns--you may very well be unable to accept those things and need not do so), as a work of storytelling this book is fantastic and one of my favorites. Horrifying, meaningful and emotional, satisfying. It isn't fast paced, if that's your thing (if you have read other longer King books, like The Shining or It, you'll find it about the same in terms of pace), but it builds tension and slowly plants its story in a very skillful, horrifying way. At several moments I felt nauseous from the dawning horror of what was inevitably going to come, and once you know of this inevitability, the story doesn't lose its suspense, its horror, or its shock. If you like to watch a story come together, it is definitely satisfying in that way, and if you enjoy horror relying more on a slow building dread than sudden shock, I think this is excellent for that.

I found what it has to say about death and grief, as well as our small place in the universe, very meaningful. I like that King is (not always, but very often!) able to go to very emotional places about the meaning of life, death, and age (considering both children and the very old especially), without getting so sentimental it cuts off the impact of the horror or keeps him from facing very bleak and terrible places.

Overall, I think this may be my favorite of his books so far. Many lines and images will stick with me for some time. Stephen King has his faults, for sure, but the thing about him is despite them, damn him, he's a really good writer.

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murderofcrows's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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smithreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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