There is something about the end of summer and lead up to fall that changes my reading preferences. Other people may be looking forward to pumpkin spice lattes and candy corn but I’m pulling out mysteries, thrillers and HORROR to quench my too early fall cravings.You can’t have a conversation about horror without including Stephen King. I’ve been a fan for most of my life but hadn’t touched Pet Semetary. Most topics won’t deter me but animals dying and coming back to life? No thanks. Even King believes this is his most frightening work. “All I know is that Pet Semetary is the one I put away in a drawer, thinking I had finally gone too far.” Then I read a glowing review by a reader who made me reconsider. After speeding through this book I can say that it is now amongst my favorites. Is it horror? Yes, most definitely. But does that adequately describe it? Nope. It’s a strangely, horribly beautiful examination of death and grief. Stephen King would hate my adverb usage but I’m a rebel.
What’s it about? The Creed family – father Louis, mother Rachel and two kids, Ellie and Gage – moves into a new home in Ludlow, Maine. It’s on a busy street frequented by large trucks traveling too fast. (One thing you will learn as you read King is that he isn’t a descriptive writer. He’s efficient with his words. So, if he tells you about a street and its’ travelers, that will be important to the plot at a later point.) The family becomes friends with the neighbors across the street, Louis starts his new job as a doctor at a local college and things are moving along nicely for this ‘normal’ family. An accidental death at the college begins a chain of events in Louis Creed’s life that…well, therein lie spoilers.
“Sometimes dead is better.”
Louis Creed is one of the best written characters in horror. Yes, I said it. A man who didn’t have the best childhood but finds a father figure in Jud Crandall, his new neighbor. A husband with a wife who loves him but is dealing with her own childhood trauma that affects their marriage. An imperfect father who would do almost anything for his children. His story arc dives into anger, depression, grief and even what it means to be a man. King uses events in Creed’s life to accurately depict how humans deal with life, death and beyond. He strips bare those emotions and turns this horror story into a master class on writing.
I’ve learned that when reading a King novel you want to pay attention to every page even if it looks like filler. King mentions in the introduction for this book that the house, the busy street, certain plot points and even the ‘Pet Semetary’ were inspired by actual events in his life. As a constant reader who has grown to care for King over the years, this made the reading experience even more emotional.
“Maybe she’ll learn something about what death really is, which is where the pain stops and the good memories begin. Not the end of life but the end of pain.”
So, Mary, get to the point. Do you recommend this book? Yes, without hesitation. But don’t expect a cheap thrill. King will make you think. And isn’t that a good thing?
One final thought – if you have access to audiobooks through your library or Audible, consider listening to Pet Semetary. Michael C. Hall (Dexter) does a fantastic job bringing it to life…and death.
Ok, I have one more thing. The book is always better than the movie. No contest.
