A review by jheinemann287
Gerald's Game, by Stephen King
3.0
When Will writes a review before I do, I can mostly just say "ditto" to everything he says. So I'll do that here, too: Ditto. I agree that this novel deals with some very heavy content -- spousal rape, sexual abuse, and a, uh, "degloving" injury (I know you want to google it, but don't google it) -- with a lot of grace (as weird as that sounds). Like, yes, of course, you feel queasy. Of course you pause your audiobook so you can breathe and think about something else. Of course you call your boyfriend to ask him if you should skip this part -- like, is it going to ruin your life if you listen to it? -- but then he doesn't answer so you start listening in like ten second increments but then decide it's not worth it and skip ahead like 20 minutes to where it feels safe, and you had already googled "degloving" anyway so you pretty much get it. But while you feel a little grossed out, the novel itself somehow doesn't feel gross or sadistic or even that excessive. That, in and of itself, is masterful.
The exception to my "ditto" has to do with the narrative voice. Jessie has SO MANY voices in her head. I almost didn't make it past the first couple chapters with all the toots this and toots that. Like, your husband is dead and being eaten by a dog and you will probably die semi-crucifixion style, so you think to yourself, "Get it together, toots?" "You should have let him squirt his shot, toots?" I mean, I know this is one woman's experience, and I don't doubt that there are people in this world whose consciousness manifests itself as multiple voices and that maybe believing that you will die chained to a bed would push those voices to the forefront of your consciousness. Sure. But perhaps because King doesn't usually (like, ever) write from a female perspective, it felt a little too "b*tches be crazy." Like, a contemporary account of female hysteria. I wasn't feeling it.
RE: the ending (with spoilers):
But as many other reviews note, this revelation falls flat. The execution -- in a long email Jessie writes to an old friend while she's in the process of healing -- is weird and detached. And then the fact that Raymond Andrew Joubert is a caricature -- pretty much the creepiest sex offender that could be imagined -- feels unnecessary and distracts from the novel's more compelling and poignant psychological conflicts. And lastly, and this isn't 90s King's fault, but I've read The Outsider and the Bill Hodges Trilogy (books with really creepy, murderous guys), so I never really thought there was a chance that the figure wasn't a real guy, which of course, takes away the element of surprise.
TL;DR - Awesome premise. Less awesome execution.
The exception to my "ditto" has to do with the narrative voice. Jessie has SO MANY voices in her head. I almost didn't make it past the first couple chapters with all the toots this and toots that. Like, your husband is dead and being eaten by a dog and you will probably die semi-crucifixion style, so you think to yourself, "Get it together, toots?" "You should have let him squirt his shot, toots?" I mean, I know this is one woman's experience, and I don't doubt that there are people in this world whose consciousness manifests itself as multiple voices and that maybe believing that you will die chained to a bed would push those voices to the forefront of your consciousness. Sure. But perhaps because King doesn't usually (like, ever) write from a female perspective, it felt a little too "b*tches be crazy." Like, a contemporary account of female hysteria. I wasn't feeling it.
RE: the ending (with spoilers):
Spoiler
It reminds me of that old horror story about the babysitter who is creeped out by the giant clown doll in the kid's room. She wonders who would be crazy enough to buy their kid a doll like that. But when the parents call to check in, they reveal that, dun dun dunnn, what clown doll?! They don't have a clown doll! Get the kid and get out of the house! That story really creeped me out as a teenager, and I think that feeling is what King's going for here. You assume the figure in the corner must just be a figment of her exhausted, tortured subconscious, but then, dun dun dunnn, it was real guy standing there! That's scary! Real people are way scarier than supernatural horrors because that could really happen!But as many other reviews note, this revelation falls flat. The execution -- in a long email Jessie writes to an old friend while she's in the process of healing -- is weird and detached. And then the fact that Raymond Andrew Joubert is a caricature -- pretty much the creepiest sex offender that could be imagined -- feels unnecessary and distracts from the novel's more compelling and poignant psychological conflicts. And lastly, and this isn't 90s King's fault, but I've read The Outsider and the Bill Hodges Trilogy (books with really creepy, murderous guys), so I never really thought there was a chance that the figure wasn't a real guy, which of course, takes away the element of surprise.
TL;DR - Awesome premise. Less awesome execution.