Duma Key
Publisher:
Pocket Books (2008)
Author:
Stephen King
Genre:
Horror, Thriller, Fantasy
Pages:
609
Price:
$9.99
On Duma Key, a
man who should be dead finds healing in the solitude of
painting...but Edgar Freemantle is far from alone.
After a
terrible construction site accident severed his right arm, scrambled
his mind, and imploded his marriage, the wealthy Minnesota builder
face the ordeal of rehabilitation alone and enraged. Renting a house
on a stunningly beautiful and eerily undeveloped splinter off the
Florida coast, Edgar slowly emerges from his prison of pain to pond
with Elizabeth Eastlake, a sick old woman whose roots are tangled
deep in Duma Key. And as he heals he paints – feverishly,
compulsively, his exploding talent both a wonder and a weapon. For
Edgar's creations are not just paintings but portals for the ghosts
of Elizabeth's past...and their power cannot be controlled.
Few
author's create characters as well as Stephen King. He brings his
characters to life by making them actual people, he painstakingly
shows the different sides of his creations. They're often flawed,
sometimes in such ways that they're occasionally hard to sympathize
with. Duma Key
takes a little time to get moving. The protagonist, Edgar
Freemantle, and how he got to Duma Key is explained through the first
200 pages. It can be a little daunting to do that much reading
before the action starts, but I think it's worth it, by the time the
first creepy things happen Edgar already feels like someone you know.
Jerome Wireman, one of Edgar's neighbors, is an amazing supporting
character. I found myself wishing I knew someone with all of the
traits he possesses; he's got humor, intelligence and loyalty to
spare and makes the perfect partner/sidekick. I did feel though that
so much time was spent on Edgar and Wireman that the fates of some of
the other peripheral characters were not that important to me.
Parts
of the book felt very familiar, which is both a good and a bad thing.
I seem to always be able to tell I'm reading Stephen King. His
unique style, especially in characterization and a slowburn method of
suspense, is unmistakable. Conversely there were moments that felt
too much like other King works. I found myself thinking “Hmmm,
that's a little like Bag
of Bones.” or
something similar every now and then.
Conclusion:
It's not The Stand,
but it will fulfill you're King fix. The slow pace of the first
third is nicely offset by the last third's race to the finish. The
ending is melancholy with a sense of triumph too, which is another
hallmark of King's style. This is a book for anyone looking for
amazing character development and a few creepy moments, but it's
lacking the actual horror of The
Shining or Pet
Semetary.
Rating:
7.5/10
I read Stephen King books a lot but must say that I haven't read this one yet, despite having bought it when it first came out. I'm not sure why I've been avoiding it but reading your review has made me consider picking it up and giving it a go so thank you for a great review!
ReplyDeleteThea @ Gizzimomo's Book Shelf
Can I just add that I LOVE the name of your blog! xx
DeleteIt's worth the read! And thanks for the kind words on the title of the blog. It took me a while to come up with something. I've always found that titles are harder for my brain to come by than any other part of writing.
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