Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by caitcoreads
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
5.0
“It’s probably wrong to believe there can be any limit to the horror which the human mind can experience.”
Because this is my second read of Pet Sematary, I thought I’d begin with my thoughts from my first trip to the burial grounds.
THAT WAS THEN...
I had nightmares of people I loved dying practically every other night. Was it worth the nightmares, you may ask? Absolutely. It took me years to finally pluck this book off of the metaphorical shelf because I thought that a book about pets coming back to life couldn’t possibly be terrifying. Well, admittedly, I was completely wrong as it did terrify me and pull at my strings until they practically snapped beyond repair. King, you’re a fucked up little genius, aren’t you?
THIS IS NOW...
This time around, I had more knowledge of the history behind Pet Sematary that I hadn't possessed prior. Large chunks of this story mirror King's. In 1978, King was invited to be a writer in residence at the University of Maine, and he moved his family into a house on a major highway. His daughter, Naomi, lost a cat to that road, and his son Owen nearly got "used up" by the road as well, but was saved at the last minute. This book reads like a grisly exploration of what could have been. This is without a doubt on my top three list of favorite Stephen King novels. It leaves me exasperated, heart-sore, and plummets me into a dark hole of nihilism, but I can't stay away. King's depiction of grief and loss is so spot on, I felt like I had just suffered the loss of someone dear to me. While reading, I became a part of the Creed family; their grief was my own, Rachel's fear of Zelda was my burden, and the burial grounds were drawing me in alongside Louis. This a terrifying story, but the scariest aspects are not the supernatural ones, but the very real, very human experiences that we all must face one dark day. I could write a whole dissertation on this book, but alas Instagram will not allow it.
5 out of 5 stars.
My favorite quote is, "...she wept because of the human being’s wonderful, deadly ability to translate symbols into conclusions that were either fine and noble or blackly terrifying.”
Because this is my second read of Pet Sematary, I thought I’d begin with my thoughts from my first trip to the burial grounds.
THAT WAS THEN...
I had nightmares of people I loved dying practically every other night. Was it worth the nightmares, you may ask? Absolutely. It took me years to finally pluck this book off of the metaphorical shelf because I thought that a book about pets coming back to life couldn’t possibly be terrifying. Well, admittedly, I was completely wrong as it did terrify me and pull at my strings until they practically snapped beyond repair. King, you’re a fucked up little genius, aren’t you?
THIS IS NOW...
This time around, I had more knowledge of the history behind Pet Sematary that I hadn't possessed prior. Large chunks of this story mirror King's. In 1978, King was invited to be a writer in residence at the University of Maine, and he moved his family into a house on a major highway. His daughter, Naomi, lost a cat to that road, and his son Owen nearly got "used up" by the road as well, but was saved at the last minute. This book reads like a grisly exploration of what could have been. This is without a doubt on my top three list of favorite Stephen King novels. It leaves me exasperated, heart-sore, and plummets me into a dark hole of nihilism, but I can't stay away. King's depiction of grief and loss is so spot on, I felt like I had just suffered the loss of someone dear to me. While reading, I became a part of the Creed family; their grief was my own, Rachel's fear of Zelda was my burden, and the burial grounds were drawing me in alongside Louis. This a terrifying story, but the scariest aspects are not the supernatural ones, but the very real, very human experiences that we all must face one dark day. I could write a whole dissertation on this book, but alas Instagram will not allow it.
5 out of 5 stars.
My favorite quote is, "...she wept because of the human being’s wonderful, deadly ability to translate symbols into conclusions that were either fine and noble or blackly terrifying.”