A review by calamity_114
Lisey's Story by Stephen King

4.0

Lovely. Lovely, lovely lovely. What a delightful bool.

It's often horror and comedy that go hand in hand, when a scream turns to a laugh and an extra gallon of fake blood turns a situation from sickening to ridiculous. In Stephen King's case, it's horror and love. See Cujo, The Shining and Firestarter for prime examples of how our familial ties keep us safe, put us in danger, and terrify us. I personally believe that the reason his books became and remain so darned successful is because we love his characters and the ways they love each other. They are the light in the darkness.

Lisey's Story is a nice little tribute to the Kings; it doesn't take much suspension of disbelief to see Scott Landon = Stephen King and Lisey Landon = Tabitha King. It's common knowledge that Tabitha is the one who set the ball rolling for Stephen King (at least, set it rolling early), and they are, let's face it, #couplegoals. As are Scott and Lisey Landon.

In some ways, this is the Stephen King answer to PS, I Love You; Scott Landon, Lisey's deceased husband, has been dead for two years when Lisey finds herself on a treasure hunt of sorts, following clues left by her dear departed one. This hunt is interspersed with flashbacks to Lisey and Scott's marriage, as well as the present danger of those looking to capitalise on Scott's death.

The horror takes a bit of a back seat on this one, though it is there; there is nightmarish imagery and terrible, terrible things happen to both Scott and Lisey. The thing that will stay with you, though, is the love not only between husband and wife but between family members. Between Lisey and Amanda, and Scott and Paul.

This is a good toe-dipper book, for new fans of King, and a great reminder to his fans that even though there are no scary clowns or vampires, King is always the king.