Author: Stephen King Release Date: January 1, 1983 Series: None Genre: Thriller | Fiction | Paranormal | Horror | Adult | Fantasy | Zombies | Suspense | Dark-Fiction Pages: 465 ISBN NO.: 978-0-340-95146-0 Publisher: Hachette India
Blurb
The house looked right, felt right, to Dr. Louis Creed. Rambling, old, unsmart and comfortable. A place where the family could settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seemed a world away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago. Only the occasional big truck out on the two-lane highway, grinding up through the gears, hammering down the long gradients, growled out an intrusive threat. But behind the house and far away from the road: that was safe. Just a carefully cleared path up into the woods where generations of local children have processed with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial. A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding…
Review
- Plot | Story– Pet Sematary is undoubtedly one of Stephen King’s finest works. I tend to be speechless when it comes to writing a review for his books so forgive me if I write less than necessary, because, nothing that can be said will ever be really enough to praise this book. The story takes you very slowly through the life happenings of Louis Creed and his family. Story progresses subtly and ever so slowly. You start to feel a very strong connection building between you and all the characters. You start liking each and everyone and everything seems good, but slowly you start to get a feeling that something is going to happen… something very wrong. And then it happens! You start to feel sad… very, very sad and right then something else happens that make you feel something more than normal sadness, a feeling of darkness that comes with death! Then comes a point where you just can’t take anymore and you stop reading it. But within a day or two you feel a strange pull and you start reading again! That’s when you find out that there’s more creepy stuff going to happen, and happen, yes, it does! You can’t stop yourself from reading, you push yourself to read and get done with this book ASAP and then something happens in the end that leaves you sleepless for nights.
No, it’s not a scary story, but it’s a really dark story that plays tricks with your mind and makes your skin crawl! It’s a Stephen King’s story.
- Characters– The characterization is Stephen-King-perfect. All the characters are so full of life that one can never really get them off one’s mind. The character-connect was built very slowly and steadily yet very, very strongly. Each and every character has the potential to make you smile as well as cry.
- Romance– None! But a hell loads of love!
- Writing– Abso-fuc***g-lutely brilliant writing. You’ll loose yourself in the writing so much so that you’ll loose all sense of time and space while reading this book. As usual, the writing is simple and easily understandable, full of sarcastic remarks which are really good and hell loads of irony which will leave make you think a lot.
- Beginning– Slow-paced and subtle. As King’s reader, the easy and happy flow of the book in the starting pages kept the anticipating part of the mind on high alert!
- Ending– Couldn’t have been any better. Left me sleepless for days!
- Cover Art– I loved the cover of the edition I read (see above), but otherwise some editions look very old, creepy and even immature!
- Blurb– The blurb definitely managed to be transparent enough to pique the reader’s curiosity and at the same time without giving much away!
Other Stuff
Opening Line: “Who had lost his father at three and had never known a grandfather, never expected to find a father as he entered his middle age, but that was exactly what happened… although he called this man his friend, as a grown man must do when he finds the man who should have been his father relatively late in life.”
Highlights: King’s writing which can make the reader’s skin crawl!
Low-lights: Nope… nothing wrong here!
Quotes:
“Sometimes dead is better” “The soil of a man’s heart is stonier; a man grows what he can and tends it.” “And the most terrifying question of all may be just how much horror the human mind can stand and still maintain a wakeful, staring, unrelenting sanity.” “He’s my cat! He’s not God’s cat! Let God have his own cat! Let God have all the damn old cats He wants, and kill them all! Church is mine!”
Memorable paragraph:
“It’s probably wrong to believe there can be any limit to the horror which the human mind can experience. On the contrary, it seems that some exponential effect begins to obtain as deeper and deeper darkness falls-as little as one may like to admit it, human experience tends, in a good many ways, to support the idea that when the nightmare grows black enough, horror spawns horror, one coincidental evil begets other, often more deliberate evils, until finally blackness seems to cover everything. And the most terrifying question of all may be just how much horror the human mind can stand and still maintain a wakeful, staring, unrelenting sanity. That such events have their own Rube Goldberg absurdity goes almost without saying. At some point, it all starts to become rather funny. That may be the point at which sanity begins either to save itself or to buckle and break down; that point at which one’s sense of humour begins to reassert itself.”
Final Thoughts: One of Stephen King’s finest!
Heena, I did not read the book, but I saw the movie 25 years ago (or so). I saw a lot of horror movies but this was the worst ever for some reason. As you write it is not too scary, but it touches something deep down in yourself that makes you feel horrified. Perhaps it is the good will to save your loved ones and get punished the change of personalities, the tragedy … I don’t know, but I felt terrible for days after that movie.
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I haven’t watched the movie yet, but I totally understand your implication! This book made me also feel terrible for days. The scariest part is experiencing how it feels when a child dies and the grief that follows! It’s really hard to get over quickly after reading or watching this kind of stuff.
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This is exactly what I felt. Also such an oppressive feeling for days. Compliment to Stephen Kind 😉
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Yea… for sure! 😉
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Remembering the first time, I read the book and it was horror – the film was ok, but the real horror happens inside your brain…
Greetings
Maccabros
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Yea Maccabros! I completely agree! The brain is left in dark after the book/movie and that’s what is more terrifying!
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Awesome revew Heena !
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Thanks Kim 🙂
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I love this book, my second favourite King novel after the excellent Salem’s Lot, great review Heena.
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Thanks dear!
I’m yet to read Salem’s Lot, but I’m planning on reading it soon 🙂
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Love this book. Its a pure King classic, and one of my favourites for sure right next to The Stand. I actually like the film as well.
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I’ve not watched it, but after reading so many comments on the movie, I’ll be watching it this month itslef!
And I guess I’ve got to read The Stand as well! The other day my cousin was talking about The Stand and that they are planning to make a 3-parts movie on it…Is it true?
If yes then I’ve gotta read it before the movies come out!
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That is indeed true, it needs three parts as its quite a big story. There was a mini series with Gary Sinise but from what I remember it wasnt very good. I am looking forward to the 3 part film. Also, check out the mini-series Stephen King’s Rose Red and Kingdom Hospital which was a small tv series but very enjoyable. Yes, read The Stand its a book that will stay with you forever. 🙂
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I had no idea that there was already a movie on it! I’ll surely check it out and also I’ll download this TV series… anything that’s King’s, I’m game!
Thanks Romeo 😀
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Although I did like the original The Stand movie with Gary Sinise, that’s great news about the new 3 part movie coming out. I can’t wait to see who they cast.
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Yea… same here! Though I haven’t checked out the movie you’re talking about. I’ll watch it before the new one comes 🙂
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Such a classic creepy book. It’s my second fav book from King. Great choice.
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Thanks Jennifer! Great to know that you read King too 🙂
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Thank you for the review! I watched the movie already..I think I made a mistake! I should read the book first before watching the movie..The movie was bit scary (for me) and I don’t dare to read the book anymore..But after reading your review, maybe I should give it a try!!
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I don’t do horror, so I’ve never read a Steven King book. I tried the first of his fantasy books, but couldn’t get into it.
I think the key to a good scary book (any book really, but even more important for scary) is that you care about the characters.
Sarcasm is always a plus in a book.
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I can understand why! I started reading them this year only, and I’m already a huge fan of Stephen King 🙂
I agree, if you care about the characters, then it proves that the book is really well-written!
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