Title: Pet Sematary
Author: Stephen King
ISBN: 9780743412278
No. of Pages: 576
Genre: Horror
Origins: Mine. All mine.
Release Date: 14 November 1983
“When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son — and now an idyllic home. As a family, they’ve got it all…right down to the friendly cat.
But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth — more terrifying than death itself…and hideously more powerful.”
Thoughts: Stephen King writes amazing stories. He specializes in delving into the human psyche and challenging readers to accept the unimaginable. More importantly, under his pen, that unimaginable quality becomes perfectly plausible, which only compounds one’s terror. After all, there are several generations of readers who steer clear of clowns and sewer drains because of what Mr. King did with them in his novel, It. Pet Sematary by Stephen King is no different in that it is a blood-curdling novel in which the very thing at which one should scoff at its ridiculousness becomes the thing of a reader’s nightmares. That it diverts down a path one might not expect based on its title and cover is a surprise but does nothing to minimize a reader’s terror or one’s appreciation for an entertaining story.
As always, Mr. King knows how to create well-executed, complex, realistic, and empathetic characters around which his horror stories revolve. In Louis Creed, he creates a young father who cares deeply for his family. His approach to life is rational, and he tends to overanalyze situations before acting. He is not afraid to show readers his parenting frustrations in addition to those parenting perks which negate them. He is relatable and honest, which only makes the horror he later experiences that much more tragic.
Another aspect of Mr. King’s books that he does so well is to create situations which sit in the shadowy grey area between right and wrong. A reader instinctively envisions being in Louis’ shoes, faced with the same tragic decisions and terrible consequences, for which readers are utterly incapable of making different choices. This grounds the story more firmly to the realistic and deliberately counters the fantastic elements of his stories.
Unlike some of Mr. King’s other novels, one finishes reading Pet Sematary with many questions. First off, he never explains the mysterious power in the forest. There are many hints and even mentions of certain supernatural figures, but they are nothing more than mentions with no clear definitions or explanations. Similarly, the rules of the Pet Sematary remain frustratingly vague. One is not even certain of the rules long after Louis stumbles down that particular path. Also, there is an emphasis on spirals which seem important enough to garner multiple mentions but again without any satisfactory answers.
Because there are so many open-ended scenarios, one cannot help but wonder if Mr. King intended to write a sequel. There are certainly enough unanswered questions to warrant one. Then again, the fact that the rest of Louis’ story is entirely up to the reader to determine only creates a more horrifying story. The very thing which can and does frustrate a reader can and does help Pet Sematary live up to its title as one of Mr. King’s scariest novels of all time.
BOTTOM LINE: This is one of his more frightening, intense, WTF stories he has written. One finishes the book with more questions than answers, but that is part of its mastery.
I enjoyed Pet Sematary though there are unanswered questions. The subject of death is always a tough subject as it is mysterious and dark. King leads the reader down the dark spiral of the Creed family as they face death. Gage’s death only enhanced this idea fully. The reader suffers with Louis as he contemplates burying Gage in the Pet Sematary. I likely would have done what he did just to have my son back.
It makes for an interesting debate, doesn’t it?
While I loved this one…and was satisfied with the ending (unlike with so many other King novels…a spider? Really?), I don’t think I want a sequel!! Beautiful post, Michelle–you’ve summed up King perfectly.
No sequel? Ah! The ending on this was so frustrating to me. As much as I hated, nay detested, the alien spider, I was okay with the ending. This one though was too open-ended for my taste.
Thanks, Trish!
I’ve been thinking the same thoughts about a sequel, especially since he went there with The Shining. And I love Dr Sleep way more than The Shining, so a sequel could be A Very Good Thing. Of course, that whole open ended thing with Louis and his zombie bride might just be better left to the imagination. Ellie, though…she deserves a story. Uptight grandparents, zombie parents…she seems to be doomed either way.
Agreed. I would love to see how he would approach a sequel to Pet Sematary. Would he set it in the future like Doctor Sleep? Would he set it immediately after the first novel? Would we get answers to our questions? Perhaps we can write a letter and see if he answers our plea!
This is what I’ve learned from reading Stephen King’s early books – I never want to roam the forests of Maine. Or the small towns that look so normal, but…maybe aren’t. And that’s all I’ll say about that. LOL
True. There is no such thing as a normal small town in King’s world, is there? 😉
Maybe one day I’ll stop being a total punk-ass baby and be able to read horror. Til then I leave it to the experts. The #gangstercats.
LOL! You know, I used to swear up and down that I detested horror. I refused to read it until well into my 30s. I am now probably one of its biggest fans, so you just never know when your tastes will change.
Yes. It does seem that he hinted after a ‘cycle’ like what he gave in IT. but never quite addresses here in Pet Sematary.
No. There is something that is a bit unfinished about it, isn’t there.
Excellent review!
That blurred right/wrong thing is in most of his novels. I just love how he puts the reader right in the center of it. I always feel as if I am right there.
I know. I loved how he portrayed parenthood – that you love them more than anything but sometimes dream of being alone. He does an amazing job of capturing that feeling.