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aphros 's review for:
Pet Sematary
by Stephen King
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book could have been good if the cemetery was a metaphor for grief or something like that but really? An Indian burial ground with a wendigo? This books entire premise is extremely ignorant of Native American culture, and the lack of actual representation was appalling.
The book was not scary, not disturbing and for me personally not even all that tragic. It was easy to tell exactly what was going to happen. Gage had no character and little page time so when we all of a sudden had a chapter where him and his dad flew a kite, his impending death was really obvious. Some of the grief in the book is well done but it isn’t given much time to develop as Stephen king is too busy dedicating page time to tediously long grave robbing and travelling drama. It isn’t enough to describe Louis climbing over the gate to get to the cemetery.
First he has to consider it
Then consider how to get his tools over
Then throw his tools over
Then consider it some more
Then start climbing
Climb into a tree
Have a car go past and scare him
Consider what he’s doing some more
Think about getting down
Be scared by another car
Get down
Most of the book is written this way- character development and horror are surface level at best in order to make way for long scenes of exhilerating climbing, walking and digging.
There is so much build up to Gages resurrection all for him to be resurrected near the end of the book, become evil and kill a couple people and then be killed as fast as he could yell “car crash”. I was hoping for him to be ressurected sooner in the novel, build tension as the family adjust to the new Gage who just isn’t quite right. But of course not, that would be actually creepy and captivating. Better just bring him back as an immediate knife murderer, who needs tension anyway?
Lastly what the hell was King thinking using Rachel’s disabled sister as a creepy plot device. She’s creepy because she is disabled and struggled with her disability, better make her a main point of horror in the book, that’s not objectifying at all. And to add insult to injury he names one of the books parts “Oz the Gweat and Tewwible”, a phrase used by the book to symbolise death and terrible things. A phrase that comes from the memory of Rachel smashing a picture as her sister died. A phrase that is said in baby talk mocking the voice of her disabled sister…
It gets an extra star for their daughter Ellie being well thought out and interesting, seein he cope with her brothers death was genuinely tragic and she was the only character I really fell for, but overall it was unfocused at best and horribly offensive at worst.
The book was not scary, not disturbing and for me personally not even all that tragic. It was easy to tell exactly what was going to happen. Gage had no character and little page time so when we all of a sudden had a chapter where him and his dad flew a kite, his impending death was really obvious. Some of the grief in the book is well done but it isn’t given much time to develop as Stephen king is too busy dedicating page time to tediously long grave robbing and travelling drama. It isn’t enough to describe Louis climbing over the gate to get to the cemetery.
First he has to consider it
Then consider how to get his tools over
Then throw his tools over
Then consider it some more
Then start climbing
Climb into a tree
Have a car go past and scare him
Consider what he’s doing some more
Think about getting down
Be scared by another car
Get down
Most of the book is written this way- character development and horror are surface level at best in order to make way for long scenes of exhilerating climbing, walking and digging.
There is so much build up to Gages resurrection all for him to be resurrected near the end of the book, become evil and kill a couple people and then be killed as fast as he could yell “car crash”. I was hoping for him to be ressurected sooner in the novel, build tension as the family adjust to the new Gage who just isn’t quite right. But of course not, that would be actually creepy and captivating. Better just bring him back as an immediate knife murderer, who needs tension anyway?
Lastly what the hell was King thinking using Rachel’s disabled sister as a creepy plot device. She’s creepy because she is disabled and struggled with her disability, better make her a main point of horror in the book, that’s not objectifying at all. And to add insult to injury he names one of the books parts “Oz the Gweat and Tewwible”, a phrase used by the book to symbolise death and terrible things. A phrase that comes from the memory of Rachel smashing a picture as her sister died. A phrase that is said in baby talk mocking the voice of her disabled sister…
It gets an extra star for their daughter Ellie being well thought out and interesting, seein he cope with her brothers death was genuinely tragic and she was the only character I really fell for, but overall it was unfocused at best and horribly offensive at worst.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol
Minor: Cannibalism