Stephen King dips once again into his own past for Duma Key. Much like Dreamcatcher, a book about pain and written during his recovery from his near death after being hit by a van, his newest novel explores pain again. And unlike Lisey’s Story, which was about the love of two people that went beyond the mortal coil, Duma Key is -what he said in a recent interview - a book about divorce.
The story is of Edgar Freemantle and his recovery from the terrible nightmare-inducing accident that stole his arm and ended his marriage. When he takes up residence to fully recover in a pink house on Duma Key, somewhere in Florida, he discovers his latent artistic nature has come forward.
But the story told by Edgar is much more than about divorce, as the past -in typical King style - refuses to be left alone. Soon Edgar is embroiled in a horrifying mystery about the deaths of twin girls and what lurks just beneath the surface of the warm Atlantic waters.
Being one of “constant readers”, having read almost every thing King has written (with the exception of his Richard Bachman novels) since I first discovered the paperback edition of The Stand back in 1980, I always look forward to his books, big or small. At 607 pages, the novel does take a bit of time going. But I think King, after 3 decades of publishing hit making novels, can get away with it. But sometimes, I think he could take a knife to make chunks of the books, and not lose its narrative thread.
I liked it, none the less. I do think King’s later work has been his best, and Duma Key, while treading familiar territory, is a well crafted novel that will always arise beyond the usual slash-dash horror novels that are published every week.
Dean Koontz should be this good.
The story is of Edgar Freemantle and his recovery from the terrible nightmare-inducing accident that stole his arm and ended his marriage. When he takes up residence to fully recover in a pink house on Duma Key, somewhere in Florida, he discovers his latent artistic nature has come forward.
But the story told by Edgar is much more than about divorce, as the past -in typical King style - refuses to be left alone. Soon Edgar is embroiled in a horrifying mystery about the deaths of twin girls and what lurks just beneath the surface of the warm Atlantic waters.
Being one of “constant readers”, having read almost every thing King has written (with the exception of his Richard Bachman novels) since I first discovered the paperback edition of The Stand back in 1980, I always look forward to his books, big or small. At 607 pages, the novel does take a bit of time going. But I think King, after 3 decades of publishing hit making novels, can get away with it. But sometimes, I think he could take a knife to make chunks of the books, and not lose its narrative thread.
I liked it, none the less. I do think King’s later work has been his best, and Duma Key, while treading familiar territory, is a well crafted novel that will always arise beyond the usual slash-dash horror novels that are published every week.
Dean Koontz should be this good.
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