One thing I love about Stephen King is his ability to combine reality with the supernatural. I'm not going to postulate whether or not the supernatural is real, I'm just saying he writes his stories with a fantastic twist (fantastic = fantasy) often. Sometimes I go on book sprees where I buy a bunch of books I intend to read. One of the last sprees has left me with "Gerald's Game". I was not so sure how the book was going to capture my attention, especially after reading the basic plot.
Let me tell you about it. The basic idea is that a couple in their 40's heads out to the lake for the weekend. Gerald, the husband, suggests the use of handcuffs for a romantic foray. There is a lot of inner turmoil here, and the wife, Jessie, after being handcuffed, decides that she just can't handle it. She tries to get Gerald to stop, but he won't. So she kicks him off of her. Unfortunately, this is quite a shock and he has a heart attack and dies. I promise I haven't revealed too much of the story to you all. This happens pretty early on in the book. The book is actually about this woman's struggle to survive, escape, and face the demons in her past that have so long haunted her... as well as a few new demons from the present.
Now let me tell you what I think about this book.
I'm not in love with it. There were moments when I found myself questioning if I should actually finish the book or not. Maybe it's that I don't relate to Jessie. Maybe I don't have any sympathy for her. I'm not really sure what it is, but I just wasn't involved in this story like I have been in others. I think the part that disappointed me the most was when the most fantastic (fantasy) part of the story turns out to be very real. It was creepy, but not in a way to make my skin crawl. It is 100% possible that something like this could happen. Maybe that should make it more creepy. It doesn't for me. I'm just not thrilled with it.
This is not a Stephen King book I would recommend to others. I feel like the ending was sort of just tacked on there to give some major closure. The ending is cohesive with the story, but it feels sort of simple. This whole book is not something I'm used to reading from King.
I can't say I'm disappointed in King or anything like that. Not everything an author writes is going to make you want to meet the characters, jump into the pages, or write a letter of praise to the author. I still love Stephen King, this just wasn't my favorite. Maybe it is someone else's favorite. I'm excited to find out how King will continue to surprise me (in both good and bad ways) with his other books.
Let me tell you about it. The basic idea is that a couple in their 40's heads out to the lake for the weekend. Gerald, the husband, suggests the use of handcuffs for a romantic foray. There is a lot of inner turmoil here, and the wife, Jessie, after being handcuffed, decides that she just can't handle it. She tries to get Gerald to stop, but he won't. So she kicks him off of her. Unfortunately, this is quite a shock and he has a heart attack and dies. I promise I haven't revealed too much of the story to you all. This happens pretty early on in the book. The book is actually about this woman's struggle to survive, escape, and face the demons in her past that have so long haunted her... as well as a few new demons from the present.
Now let me tell you what I think about this book.
I'm not in love with it. There were moments when I found myself questioning if I should actually finish the book or not. Maybe it's that I don't relate to Jessie. Maybe I don't have any sympathy for her. I'm not really sure what it is, but I just wasn't involved in this story like I have been in others. I think the part that disappointed me the most was when the most fantastic (fantasy) part of the story turns out to be very real. It was creepy, but not in a way to make my skin crawl. It is 100% possible that something like this could happen. Maybe that should make it more creepy. It doesn't for me. I'm just not thrilled with it.
This is not a Stephen King book I would recommend to others. I feel like the ending was sort of just tacked on there to give some major closure. The ending is cohesive with the story, but it feels sort of simple. This whole book is not something I'm used to reading from King.
I can't say I'm disappointed in King or anything like that. Not everything an author writes is going to make you want to meet the characters, jump into the pages, or write a letter of praise to the author. I still love Stephen King, this just wasn't my favorite. Maybe it is someone else's favorite. I'm excited to find out how King will continue to surprise me (in both good and bad ways) with his other books.
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