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A review by ycboots
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Animal death, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny and Alcohol