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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is technically my second Stephen King (I’ve also read The Green Mile), and Pet Sematary completely threw me around. It’s basically a beyond-exasperated look at how awful and inhumane grief can be, and the immeasurable insanity it drags you into.
As someone who has experienced deep and horrific grief, I felt really seen and called out here. King captures that raw, unhinged side of loss in a way that’s both terrifying and painfully real.
I was entertained, horrified, and honestly kind of impressed the whole time. That said, it was published in 1983, and the language shows its age. The Indigenous references in particular were lazy and offensive (cannibalism?? really, Stephen?).
Flaws aside, I still enjoyed it—and I’ll probably be haunted by it for a long time.
”The soil of a man’s heart is stonier; a man grows what he can and tends it.”
The narrative deserves a full 5 stars—let me make that clear upfront.
It’s an extraordinary and thought-provoking story. The concept is nothing short of brilliant: an exploration of grief, pulled by the strings of a supernatural force, that challenges the very foundation of a man’s psyche. Louis, the protagonist, a doctor whose pragmatic and clinical understanding of death hallmarks the loss that his family first experience, becomes driven to the brink of madness himself when grief comes to strike him. He then goes on a desperate quest to reclaim what he has lost, no matter the cost. That’s where the horror creeps in - ”no matter the cost…” you can just about imagine how twisted things can get.
What detracted from the story for me—though I recognise this is a highly controversial take—was the overly verbose prose. While Stephen King is undeniably an amazing writer (The Institute was an enthusiastic 5-star rating), his writing in this particular instance felt quite drawn out. King liked to delve into every detail of everything, whether that be the past, present, and future of an event, or sharing every thought and emotion at every waking and sleeping moment a character has. This approach just made the narrative feel weighed down and sluggish, to the point where I found it difficult to stay focused. Picking up the book became a challenge, as I didn’t want to go back to feeling like I’m wading through a slow-moving mire of words.
I’m fully aware this is probably a me problem.
Anyway, with all that said, the story itself is profound, and the ending left me shook. Despite a few people warning me to prepare myself, I was nowhere near prepared for that ending. King knows how to leave you feeling unnerved even after you’ve closed the book.
While my rating may seem harsh, I did appreciate this novel and won’t forget this narrative and the themes explored for a long time.
The narrative deserves a full 5 stars—let me make that clear upfront.
It’s an extraordinary and thought-provoking story. The concept is nothing short of brilliant: an exploration of grief, pulled by the strings of a supernatural force, that challenges the very foundation of a man’s psyche. Louis, the protagonist, a doctor whose pragmatic and clinical understanding of death hallmarks the loss that his family first experience, becomes driven to the brink of madness himself when grief comes to strike him. He then goes on a desperate quest to reclaim what he has lost, no matter the cost. That’s where the horror creeps in - ”no matter the cost…” you can just about imagine how twisted things can get.
What detracted from the story for me—though I recognise this is a highly controversial take—was the overly verbose prose. While Stephen King is undeniably an amazing writer (The Institute was an enthusiastic 5-star rating), his writing in this particular instance felt quite drawn out. King liked to delve into every detail of everything, whether that be the past, present, and future of an event, or sharing every thought and emotion at every waking and sleeping moment a character has. This approach just made the narrative feel weighed down and sluggish, to the point where I found it difficult to stay focused. Picking up the book became a challenge, as I didn’t want to go back to feeling like I’m wading through a slow-moving mire of words.
I’m fully aware this is probably a me problem.
Anyway, with all that said, the story itself is profound, and the ending left me shook. Despite a few people warning me to prepare myself, I was nowhere near prepared for that ending. King knows how to leave you feeling unnerved even after you’ve closed the book.
While my rating may seem harsh, I did appreciate this novel and won’t forget this narrative and the themes explored for a long time.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
FUCK! THEM! KIDS!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No