52 in 2009: Duma Key by Stephen King
I was pretty sure I wouldn't like this book. King's writing is always a hit-and-miss with me: loved Lisey's Story, despised Cell. Duma Key sounded very much like another miss.
Stephen King has a way of drawing me in despite the silliest premise. In this case, we have a middle-aged, rich white guy named Edgar move to one of the Florida keys after losing his right arm in an accident. There he paints magical pictures that eventually end up killing people when their magic falls under the influence of an ancient, evil doll.
See what I mean?
I had trouble getting into the narrative for several reasons, but once I got over the 1st person POV and having to identify with, well, a rich guy called Edgar (who called his physical therapist Rehap Gestapo or some such; see also: Issues), I was hooked.
The Good: The first two thirds of the book are dedicated to Edgar slowly getting better, discovering his talent and making a small handful of friends. It's a quiet, thoughtful narrative that drew me in and wouldn't let me go. The few instances of true horror, like the vision of the dead Tom Riley, were as unexpected to me as a reader as they were to Edgar himself, and so were marvellously unsettling. The writing is beautiful, but shot through with an occasional sense of foreboding that makes the story even more intriguing. I loved that.
The Not-So-Good: The book seemed to be an exercise in repetition at times. The handicapped protagonist I recognise from Misery, the ancient god-like evil from It, the magical drawing from The Dark Tower, the idea of magical pictures from Rose Madder, the protagonist's last name from The Stand. I also had trouble with the exposition being mainly in dialogue, especially in the last third where everything more or less gets explained to the characters, and thus, the reader. I don't know if that's why the last third as such didn't work for me, if there was too much exposition or too little emotion; in any case, the horror fell completely flat and the resolution felt a bit like cheating.
All in all, I found Duma Key to be a great book with a somewhat weak ending. It's not the best novel King has ever written, but it's certainly among the better ones.
~~~
9 down, 43 to go.
Stephen King has a way of drawing me in despite the silliest premise. In this case, we have a middle-aged, rich white guy named Edgar move to one of the Florida keys after losing his right arm in an accident. There he paints magical pictures that eventually end up killing people when their magic falls under the influence of an ancient, evil doll.
See what I mean?
I had trouble getting into the narrative for several reasons, but once I got over the 1st person POV and having to identify with, well, a rich guy called Edgar (who called his physical therapist Rehap Gestapo or some such; see also: Issues), I was hooked.
The Good: The first two thirds of the book are dedicated to Edgar slowly getting better, discovering his talent and making a small handful of friends. It's a quiet, thoughtful narrative that drew me in and wouldn't let me go. The few instances of true horror, like the vision of the dead Tom Riley, were as unexpected to me as a reader as they were to Edgar himself, and so were marvellously unsettling. The writing is beautiful, but shot through with an occasional sense of foreboding that makes the story even more intriguing. I loved that.
The Not-So-Good: The book seemed to be an exercise in repetition at times. The handicapped protagonist I recognise from Misery, the ancient god-like evil from It, the magical drawing from The Dark Tower, the idea of magical pictures from Rose Madder, the protagonist's last name from The Stand. I also had trouble with the exposition being mainly in dialogue, especially in the last third where everything more or less gets explained to the characters, and thus, the reader. I don't know if that's why the last third as such didn't work for me, if there was too much exposition or too little emotion; in any case, the horror fell completely flat and the resolution felt a bit like cheating.
All in all, I found Duma Key to be a great book with a somewhat weak ending. It's not the best novel King has ever written, but it's certainly among the better ones.
~~~
9 down, 43 to go.