jaimc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Blood, Grief, Animal death, Medical trauma, and Death
Moderate: Chronic illness, Ableism, Confinement, Terminal illness, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts
tifftastic87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't want to live my life again."
-The Ramones
Louis Creed has moved his family from Chicago to Maine for a job. The house is idyllic with one exception, the road out front is a throughway for very large tanker trucks. When Louis's daughter's cat, Church, is hit by one of these trucks, the neighbor, Jud, shows Louis what to do. They bury Church in the real pet cemetery, a place where the dead don't stay dead. Church comes back not quite right, but he's definitely back. So, when Louis's 2 year old son gets hit by a different truck, Louis does the unthinkable.
I first read this book back in high school and I remember finishing it and being terrified to be home alone. This time around it was just as eerie, but 20 years has given me some perspective. The trope of the "ancient Indian burial ground" is definitely outdated and a little more than gross as is the use of a Wendigo. But the imagery of everything is still spooky.
I really liked Jud and the relationship he had with Louis. It is always nice to see wholesome relationships between men and I feel like King always does a good job at that. The same with the relationship with the other doctors at the University.
There's a lot of good here, but there is a lot of cringe too. Oh, god the bathtub scene. I forgot it was in this book.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Blood
Moderate: Colonisation, Alcohol, and Racism
Minor: Antisemitism
chloseencounter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Child death, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, and Blood
Minor: Chronic illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, Grief, and Mental illness
z0333's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Child death, Death, Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Murder, Chronic illness, and Violence
becca_w_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Ableism, Grief, Infidelity, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Blood, Chronic illness, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual content, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, and Addiction
Minor: Gun violence, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cancer, Car accident, Genocide, Cannibalism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Sexism, and War