Sometimes dead is better.

King calls Pet Sematary his scariest book, and I can truly understand why. It is an extremely creepy and shockingly disturbing piece of work. The way he leads the reader through the story is both captivating and terrifying. His interesting prologue, which details how he came to write this unsettling tale, adds an element of truth that makes it even more impactful.

While it is truly a horror to read, it is excellent within its genre. However, it is also awful in a sense. It's not overly gory, but it is definitely sad, sick, dark, and disgusting. There are more than one horribly shocking events that will leave you in disbelief.

If you're new to reading horror, take heed. This book will make your skin crawl and might even keep you from taking a walk in the woods for a long time, especially if your cat is nearby.

"IT" is still my favorite scary King thriller, especially the old movie. But Pet Sematary, which I must say is shockingly disturbing, is a close second. And sometimes, dead is better.

UPDATE: October 16, 2015

WARNING: DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE TOTALLY CREEPED OUT! THE VISUAL OF THE "SISTER" FLASHBACK SCENE ALONE IS MORE HORRIFYING THAN THE ENTIRE BOOK!!!

Not sure precisely what didn't click for me during this much-later reread. This was once one of my favorite King books, but I believe I've grown apart from his style.

I still have a deep affection for the concept of the Indian burial ground that brings animals and people back wrong, from Church the cat, filthy with blood and grave earth, to little boy Gage, saying'mummy I've got a present for you'. And yet, it felt long. This could have been a powerful short story, with less emphasis on the narrator's Doctor skills and more focus on the dead things. The final 10% is just perfect: filled with fear, crying, and death. The rest, however, lacks action and is all build-up, written in that irreverent King style that used to be my cup of tea but now seems to hinder the suspense rather than enhance it.

Not only that, if you have a road at the end of your garden with huge trucks zooming past day and night, build a fence or hold onto your animals and children, you parental failures.

So, in order to potentially ruin another old friend, I'm going to pick up The Dark Half and see whether it's the style, the plot, or me. Wish me well.

Well, I truly doubt that I'll ever come up with any other way to express this. But after reading this book, my mind is thoroughly and completely fucked.

This book, along with the story it unfolds, pushes the boundaries to an extreme extent, even for the most rational of individuals. It has a psychological hold on you, and Stephen King manages to infiltrate your mind, rummage around within it for a while, and remain there long after you've finished reading the book.

However, that is precisely what he desires, and that is yet another reason why he is one of the greatest authors I have read to date.

Pet Sematary is my fourth King novel. Having just devoured The Shining, I craved more of King's works. The Shining was, without a shadow of a doubt, truly amazing. I was hooked from the very beginning until the end. When I completed that book, I was inevitably disappointed as I had an insatiable appetite for more. And in a rather crazy way, I relished the feeling of being unsettled. So, I purchased Pet Sematary as I had heard positive things about it.

I approached this book with the assumption that it was about a cat that returned from the dead, given the front cover which features an evil-looking cat. But it was so much more than that. Let me put it in my own words. It takes a great deal to physiologically disturb me and get under my skin. This book was boldly dancing right on that line. At one point, around the halfway mark, I was reading it at work. Towards the end of a chapter, I thought, "Wow, he couldn't have actually written what I think he has, could he?" I had to postpone reading the next chapter until I got home.

Apparently, King states that this novel is one that he himself has been unable to reread because it is that terrifying. Now that I've read it myself, I completely understand that statement.

I feel compelled to thank Mr King for once again causing my flesh to crawl, my stomach to lurch, and inevitably, adding to my current struggle with insomnia.

This is one of the best books I have read this year.

The story is indeed very well-written, and it has a certain creepiness to it. At the beginning, I had a personal hunch that this book might be a little bit different from the others. And as I delved deeper into the actual content, it didn't disappoint me at all.

The author has managed to create a vivid and engaging world within the pages of this book. The characters are well-developed, and their actions and decisions keep the reader on the edge of their seat. The plot twists and turns, leading the reader through a series of unexpected events that add to the overall excitement and mystery of the story.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller or mystery. It is a captivating read that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. ★★★★★ /5

Sometimes dead is better.

One of King’s greatest strengths lies in the fact that his most effective scares don't rely solely on the presence of monsters. Instead, he masterfully weaves horror into the fabric of everyday life. Pet Sematary, a novel saturated with dread, terrifies the reader by presenting death as an antagonist that we believe we can conquer, only to unleash hell in the process. It is through the transformation of grief and parental anxieties into tales of terror that the true fright lies. I vividly remember reading this for the first time at 14, huddled in bed against the autumn chills that tapped at my window. The final scene, which occurs on a sunny midday outdoors, suddenly makes it clear that terror can lurk even in the most idyllic landscapes. This haunted me for years and is a significant reason why King is such a remarkable author who can frighten across the ages. He strikes where we feel safe and elicits emotions that we all inevitably experience. Pet Sematary is a now-classic horror novel that delves into grief and male fragility, leaving you shrieking in both fright and excitement.

I don’t think children ever forget the lies their parents tell them.

Everyone has probably said all there is to say about this book, but here I go anyway. This is a book that truly sticks with you, and I suspect it's because it delves deep into the emotions we all possess but don't openly display, especially men in American culture who are conditioned to view overt displays of emotion as a flaw. King explores emotions like fear, grief, and sadness here. 'The soil of a man’s heart is stonier,' Jud tells our protagonist, Louis Creed, and this kind of myth-making about masculinity has caused many to suffer in silence. The men, of course, but more so those closest to them, are harmed and haunted by their inability to productively process emotions, which often turns toxic. Much of the trauma in this novel stems from Louis' attempts to cover up and push death aside, first with the cat and later with the child, as a means of avoiding dealing with death. When Winston Churchill, or Church as he is called, is killed, Louis and Jud venture beyond the local cemetery to a place rumored to bring back the dead. But 'the barrier was not meant to be crossed,' and dark things await.

But let's pause on the death of Church for a moment (names like Church and the last name Creed definitely imply some religious aspects). As children, our first encounter with death usually comes from our pets. I mean, basically, the whole reason you get a fish is so your parents can explain death to you. The intentional misspelling of the title 'Sematary' comes from the misspelling of the little animal cemetery in the woods near the Creed house, which is filled with adorable misspellings in children's handwriting on the numerous tombstones. It's a great example of combining death with the coziness of childhood, reminding us all that it is a fact of life - a sad one - and something we inevitably have to confront. Instead of dealing with his daughter's grief and fulfilling his parental responsibilities, Louis chooses to push death and grief aside for a quick fix. But as we soon discover, trauma that is postponed ferments into something far more sinister.

When Louis asks his neighbor if anyone has ever attempted this with a human, Jud retorts 'NO! Whoever would!?' King, being King, we know we will soon learn the truth, and it is more terrifying than we can imagine. This is another aspect I love about him. He will introduce backstories that paint horror with a palette of nostalgia and small-town dynamics, making even the most charming little village a breeding ground for fear. King is, of course, playing on parents' greatest fears with this novel, a fear he nearly faced himself when a semi almost ran over his own child, inspiring this story. Louis' inability to properly grieve and his belief that he can have a magical solution ultimately lead to his downfall.

Rachel, is that you? I’ve been waiting for you, Rachel. And now I’m going to twist your back like mine, so you’ll never get out of bed again…

The side-story of Zelda, Rachel Creed’s sister whom she had to care for as a child despite being horrified by her condition of spinal meningitis, is another example of the paternal figure pushing aside problems. Here, the trauma is dumped onto the lap of his youngest daughter (as Nocturnalux pointed out, this is one of King's many nods to The Haunting of Hill House). This issue further strains the already bad relationship between Louis and his father-in-law. It wounds his masculinity even more when a man he doesn't respect questions his abilities as a'man' at the funeral.

Without a strong male figure in his life that he respects - or who respects him - Louis finds Jud to be a surrogate father, 'the man who should have been his father.' I can't think of Jud without picturing Fred Gwynne in the role from the 1989 film and hearing his voice say 'it’s that damn road there.' I just want that guy's voice to be my voicemail message; it's so good. In Jud, he sees the embodiment of the American Dream, an older married couple still in love, retired, and passing down their kindness and knowledge. Except Jud knows dark things. And Jud will later be haunted by his dead wife, and her claim to have slept with many men in their marital bed is a well-executed horror moment for the novel's themes because it threatens his sense of masculinity the most. I mean, I don't really know if King was deliberately critiquing toxic masculinity (doubtful actually, as the wife isn't a very well-developed character and mostly serves the character's ego and...services him in a scene that certainly opened my eyes at 14 and includes a line about things she learned as a Girl Scout...uhhhh), but it is such a prevalent part of American culture that this critique becomes natural when looking for a way to discomfort men.

This is a wildly uncomfortable novel in many ways, and that's what makes it truly memorable. King hits hard, and turning the grief of a lost child into a horror story of demonic resurrection is extremely effective. Pet Sematary endures as a classic - it has even had multiple film adaptations - and is a delightfully terrifying read.

3.5/5

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.

“[S]ometimes dead is better…”
-\\tStephen King, Pet Sematary

Horror is a genre that rightfully holds a reputation for being able to convey significant societal messages while still providing highly entertaining experiences. It's true that there is a fair amount of mindless horror out there, where excess seems to be the sole focus. However, when horror is crafted at the highest levels, it has the power to explore serious and diverse topics such as racism, sexism, and nuclear war, all while delivering a cathartic scare.

Pet Sematary is a high-concept novel that can be succinctly summarized in a single sentence: Indian burial ground brings the dead back to life. In all honesty, this description doesn't exactly inspire confidence that it's anything more than disposable fiction. It gives off strong vibes of being just another zombie variant or the mossy foundation for a Roger Corman movie.

During one Halloween season, as I was seeking suggestions for seasonal reading from people, this was the title that was recommended to me repeatedly. Having faith in Stephen King, who is always interesting even when his work isn't up to par, I finally decided to pick it up.

***

If you're one of those individuals who has claimed that Pet Sematary is the scariest thing you've ever read, you're not alone. King himself concurs with you. In fact, in the introduction to my version of the book, King asserts that even he thought he had gone too far and that it would never be published.

Obviously, this is an unverifiable story that reeks of a carnival barker promoting his goods. I doubt King ever truly worried about Pet Sematary's chances of being published, and in terms of grotesqueness and bad taste, this book seems almost tame. In a sense, though, I did agree with King's sentiments. Pet Sematary pushes the boundaries of what most readers are willing to endure in their entertainment.

***

At 395 pages in my paperback edition, this is a relatively slim entry by King's standards. I don't think he had even finished introducing all the characters in The Stand within 395 pages. With all the excess fat and filler removed, Pet Sematary is one of King's tighter and more efficient tales. There are only a handful of characters and just a few major set pieces. King throws only a couple of punches, but they all land squarely in the groin.

The story begins with the Creed family (Louis and Rachel, along with their two young children, Eileen and Gage) arriving at their new home in Maine after relocating from Chicago. Louis is a doctor who has taken a job at the University of Maine. Their new house is a large and beautiful New England colonial. The only drawback is that it's situated right next to a busy road frequented by recklessly speeding semitrucks.

The Creed's new neighbor is the benignly intrusive Jud Crandall, an old man who steps in to fill the paternal role that Louis missed due to his own father's untimely death. It doesn't take long for Jud to show Louis some of the features of their new home. Prominent among them is a pet cemetery with a misspelled sign that gives the book its title. Through Jud, a classic King character who always overshares, we learn that beyond the pet cemetery lies a Micmac burial ground. According to Jud, he buried his childhood dog in that space, and it came back to life, a canine Lazarus that was suddenly meaner than hell and smelled of death.

For a relatively short book, Pet Sematary spends a significant amount of time on setup. It takes its time building up to the inevitable consequences of living next to a place that defies death. For the first 200 or so pages, not much happens, although King generously foreshadows much of what is to come.

At the halfway point, he delivers a powerful blow to the solar plexus with a major twist, followed by two somewhat cheap writer's tricks, all in quick succession. Starting with this breathless sequence, the story races downhill towards the chilling finale.

The twist itself, which is hidden in plain sight, is King's crowning achievement. It's not a scene of supernatural horror or apocalyptic fireworks. Instead, it's an immensely powerful portrayal of sorrow that is closer to James Agee's A Death in the Family than anything else from the master of pop horror.

***

Part of King's success lies in his ability to use horror to his own advantage. He has always worked on both the textual and subtextual levels. He places a high value on his stories, but always leaves room to explore his themes. At his worst, as in the simplistic parable of The Green Mile, King wields his motifs with all the subtlety of Jack Nicholson driving an axe into Scatman Crothers. At his best, as in the portrayal of an abusive, alcoholic father in The Shining, King's subtext enriches and deepens what might otherwise be a forgettable spook story.

Pet Sematary is, in some respects, classic horror. But it worked for me, albeit unpleasantly, on its second level. This is King's meditation on the enormity of loss and the devastation of grief.

All of King's books are filled with death, but this is the rare book, not just in the King canon but in general, that directly confronts the topic of dying. It recognizes the uncomfortable truth that our own deaths, while frightening, pale in comparison to the unspeakable prospect of losing the people we love. This reality, which is very real, is so powerful that it has to be tempered lest the message become too unpalatable. That is King's true accomplishment, to be able to explore ideas of life, death, and the afterlife without turning readers away. Pet Sematary is almost good enough to convey its sharp message without making you want to curl up in a corner in the fetal position.

Almost.

***

It seems that many people first read Stephen King in their late teens. Perhaps a King novel was the first big "adult" book they ever read. When they read his work, they were truly scared because they had yet to experience the true terrors of the adult world.

With a couple of exceptions, every King book I've read has been in my thirties and forties. As a result, the Boo! moments don't have a hugely profound impact on me. I'm pretty much immune, to the point of indifference, to literary descriptions of the macabre. This is simply a function of having seen too much to be truly shaken by ghosts, aliens, or a homicidal Plymouth Fury. I love King's books, but it's not his jump scares that appeal to me, but rather the insights into the human condition that are cleverly hidden behind the fearful symbols.

***

Pet Sematary's evocation of death is both philosophical and impactful, and even the novel's cheap-gore elements can't overshadow its power. Horror is often seen as a healthy way to channel our toxic fears. But King provides no release. He makes you look into the void of death, with all its infinite uncertainties, and simply contemplate how difficult it is to say goodbye. Pet Sematary gave me nightmares. Not of monsters or ghosts or zombie pets, but of busy roads, unattended children, and the hidden clock that starts ticking the moment we're born.

Pet Sematary is a transcendent masterpiece of the horror genre. At the same time, it's extremely unpleasant to read, and definitely not something I'll ever pick up again. Once you strip away its grisly trappings, you're left with the chilling conclusion that we all imagine but refuse to voice aloud: that all of us will lose everything.

Stephen King is a name that truly needs no introduction.

Interestingly, I began reading King after seeing one of my all-time favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption, which is based on his work, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption from his 1982 collection Different Seasons.

This book is no exception to his other remarkable works. Once again, we can witness his impeccable writing skills. The story revolves around Dr. Louis Creed, his family, and their new home and its surroundings in Ludlow, New England. The pet cemetery and the Micmac burial ground near it form the core of the story.

King has effectively utilized many medical metaphors in this book. We see Louis stating, “Don’t monkey with a wound that has finally started to heal.” Additionally, Louis wonderfully explains medical detachment to his friends. However, the way Louis behaves as a doctor in the first part of the novel is a bit difficult to swallow. Maybe it is due to the influence of the power from the burial ground, which King himself compares to how dope addicts feel good when they inject heroin into their arms.

Some cats are indeed grumpy and strange. But generalizing and claiming that all cats are weird was a bit too much for an ailurophile like me. (I love pets, and this was a bit hard to accept). These are the only minor flaws I noticed in this novel. In conclusion, this novel is a tale of one ordinary man’s encounter with the forces of ineffable evil. If you already have this book in your hands, don't hesitate; just start reading because it is a real page-turner.

While reading this book, all that runs through my head is the song the Ramones made for the movie.

So, I'm going to link the video so all of you can have it running through your head as well! Kickin' it old school =).

Pet Sematary - The Ramones

Okay, let me just go ahead and say there will be **SPOILERS** for those that haven't read the book or seen the movie.

I have seen the movie about 6 million 5 hundred and 8 times. And I love it! THIS is the first time I have read the book, and as there are a few differences in the book and movie, they both rock monkey butt! The book didn't scare me at all for some reason. I think because of the said 6 million 5 hundred and 8 times that I have seen it that maybe it acclimated me to the book. Although, the movie is still creepy as hell.

I totally freaked at the introduction to the book. Mr. King tells about moving to said place, teaching at the school, they had a cat named Smucky, their son was running to the road chasing the kite string like in the movie, but uh, didn't get killed! And some other things. It was like a whole new little world right there for me that he actually wrote this based on some home stuff!

Remember in the book where Jud (the wonderful neighbor) takes them out to the Pet Sematary?

SMUCKY THE CAT, one crate-board marker proclaimed. The hand was childish but careful. HE WAS OBEDIANT.

Okay, so there was a real (I wonder if it's still there?) Pet Sematary and their cat Smucky is buried there and that is what Mr. King's daughter wrote! I mean, I can't even. I want to go visit there now and see if the place is still there!

So wonderful Jud from across the road has a great friendship with Louis and the kids, a little iffy with Rachel.

Anyway, Jud is the one that has Louis bury Church (the cat) when he gets hit on that damn road all of those crazy trucks would fly down. But little did Louis know that Church was going to come back, even when the poor boy from the school (Pascow) who got hit by a car and killed, came back as a ghost to warn Louis. Why don't people just listen?

So now Church is back home and he isn't the same any more. But the family didn't find out anything happened to him while they were out of town. They just think he's weird and stinks when they get home. Uh, yeah!

So then, it all goes to hell in a hand basket.

Gage is killed on the road......

and in the movie you get to see who presides over the funeral.

Yup, the King =)

and then..... don't do it..... don't to it.

He does it, Louis takes Gage to the Pet Sematary and yeah..... Gage isn't the same when he comes back! He kills Jud! Damn it all! and Ellie had been having bad dreams about her daddy so Rachel comes home and goes to Jud's house and she gets killed because Gage isn't Gage any more.

And Louis finally takes out Church and Gage, but does he learn from his lesson? Nooooooooooooooo, he takes and buries Rachel in the Sematary. Well, you can use your imagination for the rest of that one.....

This was an awesome book to read for Halloween time or any time really but it's extra special at Halloween! ♥

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

\\n  I read The Shining,\\n my first Stephen King book back in the summer of 2016 and was completely amazed by it. Since then, I've been devouring King's books religiously, eager to discover the next masterpiece that could push the boundaries of a rational mind. Well, it took me two years and eleven more of King's books to find it. Along the way, I encountered many formidable contenders like Pennywise, Barlow, and George Stark. But it was Pet Sematary and the horrors that visited the small family in Ludlow that ultimately won me over.

Louis Creed and his family have just relocated from Chicago to the small town of Ludlow. They made the move because Louis was appointed as the Director of the University of Maine's health services. They settle into their new house quite comfortably. The house is big and cozy, and Louis quickly befriends Jud and his wife, their elderly neighbors. His wife Rachel, and their two young children, Ellie and Gage, are happy. Even Ellie's cat Church is content! However, there is a small problem. The highway that divides Louis's house and Jud's house is constantly filled with speeding trucks.

Oh, and there is also the matter of the Pet Sematary: an old burial ground where pet owners lay their beloved deceased pets to rest.

And then there are the old Indian legends...
The mysterious land with a strange hold on people....
A secret and forbidden climb...
Don't look back...
*Shakes head*
Did I zone out? I think I did!

First of all, Mr. King? That man has some serious courage. He based the premise and characters of this novel on his own life while teaching at the University of Maine. There are numerous parallels between what actually happened in King's life and what he wrote in his novel. I believe that's why he considers this book to be his scariest.

It's just too personal.

Pet Sematary scared me in a different way than other horror novels or movies. It's not about jump scares or otherworldly creatures terrifying us. (Reanimation, for example, isn't at the top of the list when it comes to being scary. I almost fell asleep while reading Frankenstein, and Lovecraft's Herbert West: The re-animator was more entertaining than scary) For me, Pet Sematary worked because King makes the characters feel like your own family. He fills you with care and love for them, and then he asks you the question: What would you do if you were in Louis's shoes? Would you climb or stay put?

As always, King's characters are well-developed and full of life. The friendship between Jud and Louis is heartwarming, and Louis's young daughter Elle and toddler Gage are charming. Why, King, WHY? The story also features a cast of strong secondary characters, and King hits the mark with a perfect ensemble.

My favorite part of the entire novel is in the first half when Louis and Jud take a nighttime trip to the woods. That sequence had just the right amount of creepiness, mystery, and a haunting beauty. I could picture the unusually bright stars standing still and looking down at Louis and Jud as a cold wind blew through the woods; there was a dreamy and intimidating quality to the whole scene. Strangely, I kept thinking that Guillermo del Toro would be able to bring this sequence to life in a great way! Later, I found out that del Toro was actually in talks to remake Pet Sematary, but the project didn't pan out.

I'll be honest. The grief that King creates in the second half is almost overwhelming, and I was torn between not wanting to read the novel because it was too painful and being unable to put it down because the writing was so captivating. King once again shines in the horror genre because of the way he crafts the irresistible pull of the Pet Sematary. It's the intangible nature of the horror that I find so captivating. The scare factor isn't just limited to a few reanimated corpses or the Wendigo, but also the mystery of the Pet Sematary and the inexplicable feelings and intrusions that the characters experience, and how they lose their battles with themselves.

Another reason for my perfect rating is the ending. It was flawless.
Also, I loved the reference to Jerusalem's Lot. It felt like two cursed lands were competing to claim their victims. Perfection!

Overall, Pet Sematary has everything I was looking for, and my search for the next perfect story in Stephen King's collection continues with newfound enthusiasm!

Stephen King's legacy is indeed going to be vast, and I have no doubt about that.

Hundreds of years from now, we'll still be reading his works, just as we have been reading Poe, Dickens, and many others.

Among all his masterpieces, I hold the somewhat unpopular view that Pet Sematary is his magnum opus.

Rereading it now only solidifies this opinion.

When I first read Pet Sematary (I couldn't have been older than 13), I immediately knew it was more than a typical scary story.

For one thing, it made me feel decades older, wiser, and more attuned to human nature.

King never shies away from developing his characters, but he really delves deep with Louis Creed.

There are numerous novels that depict death well (James Agee's A Death in the Family is excellent), but appropriately enough, it's this gothic horror novel that illustrates it best.

Death isn't pretty, and surviving it can be just as grotesque. Pet Sematary presents all of this to us, and more.

Much more than we might want to see. But perhaps we need to see it to understand.

We often shout at the characters in horror movies for doing stupid things (WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE, YOU IDIOT!?), and arguably Louis Creed does some stupid things in this book.

King adds supernatural influence as a justification, but let's be honest - no justification is really needed.

Creed and his decisions are as relatable as they are tragic, something that has never quite been achieved - at least not on the same level - with Jack Torrance, Annie Wilkes, or Carrie White.

I'm not knocking those other books; I'm a fan of them too. But that's why I think Pet Sematary is King's greatest achievement.

For those interested in reading this book, whether for the first time or the 20th, I highly recommend the new audio version narrated by Michael C. Hall.

His outstanding performance enriches the novel in ways I hadn't noticed before.

I LOVED THIS. I was completely engrossed in this book. I read a whopping 300 pages in just ONE day, which is something I rarely do anymore. This is my fifth book by Stephen King, and it’s easily my favorite. So far, it’s the only book of his that I’ve given a perfect 5 stars. The depth of this story truly impressed me. It delves into the theme of grief in such a profound and touching way. It made me feel a whole range of emotions. I was so moved by it that I actually created an entire reading vlog dedicated to this book. In the vlog, I shared my thoughts and reactions as I was reading. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/2QKIYdXarLM. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a deep and emotional story.

Cause what you buy, is what you own. And what you own... always comes home to you.

Louis Creed and his family have recently relocated to the town of Ludlow, Maine. Behind their house lies a path that leads to a 'Pet Sematary', where the children of the surrounding areas have buried their beloved pets over the years. Deeper in the woods, there is an ancient Indian burial ground. Louis discovers that this place has some sinister properties when their family cat dies.

It's no secret that Pet Sematary is my favorite King book, and there are several reasons for this. When I first began reading horror, I couldn't fathom that words on a page could actually scare me. I always thought I needed something visual to keep me up at night. Then I found Pet Sematary. I had never before had an experience where I was actually afraid to turn the page, especially during the climax at the end of the novel. My heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty, and I kept thinking, "There's no way this book is going to go THAT dark." But it did, and a King junkie and Constant Reader was born. IT was my first King, but Pet Sematary was where I became hooked.

**NB Plenty of spoilers ahead**

Now it's time to get personal. Grief and loss have been a significant part of my life. When I was younger, my dad was diagnosed with MS, a debilitating disease that gradually drained the life from him in front of our eyes. In some ways, this is similar to the Zelda and Rachel storyline, except that my dad was never angry or resentful about his illness. If he was, he never showed it in front of me. He progressively got sicker, losing his ability to speak, walk, and eat over time. Death was ultimately a relief. But what about those who are left behind? It's strange because even though I was only 10 when he died, which was around 18 years ago, there are still times when the overwhelming grief can come out of nowhere and floor me. The loss of a parent is something you never truly get over; it's something you learn to live with. The only thing that could possibly be worse is the loss of a child. King's portrayal of the grief and loss that both Louis and Rachel experience is so accurate that it hurts. This book really resonated with me on a deep level, as I had never before read such a harrowing and realistic perspective on death and loss. There are so many passages that I've marked and will revisit again and again.

The way King crafted a book that is both terrifying and heartbreaking in equal measures never fails to amaze me. Because this book IS terrifying. Losing someone is terrifying, having to try to move on is terrifying, and having them come back "different" is also terrifying. Sometimes on Instagram, I see people criticizing Louis' decisions or suggesting that he's a bad parent, and it makes me want to scream. Grief and loss do not allow for rational thinking. They do not permit good judgment. They can be all-encompassing to the point where you feel like you can't breathe. I challenge anyone to tell me that if they were in a similar situation, they wouldn't even consider it (not forgetting the fact that there are other forces at work here). I know I would. Combine that with the overwhelming devastation and loss, and your decision is pretty much made. So, to label Louis as a bad parent is completely ridiculous to me. Don't get me wrong, there was Ellie to consider, and he still had that to live for, but in those initial, emotional days following such a heartbreaking loss, rational thinking just doesn't happen.

This book has a bit of a slow build, but the payoff is well worth it. I enjoyed getting to know the Creeds and watching them form friendships with the Crandalls across the road. All the good stuff, you know, before everything goes wrong. And when it does, it's almost too much to bear. Gage's little Star Wars shoe in the middle of the road, the cap full of blood. Images that send shivers down my spine. Then there's the unbearable dread as Louis digs up that coffin, not knowing exactly what he's going to find. The way Louis initially thinks that Gage has no head because there's a dark moss covering his face. THIS IS THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES. The little figure that appears in Louis' room as he sleeps, the child's laughter that Jud can hear, Ellie having these vivid dreams and knowing that her family is in danger. This is truly a masterclass in how to create well-written, terrifying horror. I bow to you, Sai King.

Some of King's best writing is in this book, and it also has one of his best endings. There are also some unforgettable characters, such as Louis Creed, Jud Crandall, Victor Pascow, and Zelda. PLEASE can I find a Jud Crandall who can act as a father figure to me? The adaptation of this book is also quite good. Louis is a hot dad, Fred Gwynne was born to play the role of Jud, and Zelda will give you a cold sweat.
I could quite honestly write an entire thesis on Pet Sematary, so I'll end it here. All I'll say is this: if you didn't feel something when reading this book...... you need to check yourself *insert sassy emoji* It's always been my number 1 King book. 5 stars from me - obviously.

Update: Listened to the audiobook in April/May 2018. Incredible narration by Michael C Hall. Still 5 stars. Obviously.
Update 2: Reread in March 2019 in anticipation of the new movie. Somehow loved it even more!!
Update 3: Reread October/November 2020. 5th read. Still my fave.
Update 4: Reread October/November 2021. 6th read.
Update 5: Reread October/November 2022. 7th read.