Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Totally Superfluous Book Review: Stephen King's Cujo

I've been a fan of Stephen King's since I was a child, and have recently created a personal goal for myself to read all of his books. The most recent entry into that read list was Cujo, the story of a rabid St. Bernard who terrorizes two families in Castle Rock, Maine.


This book was an incredibly difficult read and I finished it last night feeling gross all over. I have to say, I hated this book. I sincerely hope people who want to get into Stephen King don't choose this as their first read, because it will leave them with a completely inaccurate view of King's writing. His style is brutally honest and often darkly funny, but not mean-spirited and sexist as this book is. The monster wins, and I know that message of this book was a reflection of what was going on in his own life at the time. He had a severe substance abuse problem at the time, and as such, says he has no memory of writing this book. The monster in his closet was winning, and he poured all of that strife and darkness into this book. If anything, this book is a reflection of how the history of the writer influences how one of their projects is viewed and interpreted. This book is filled with hopelessness and anger.

If you, like me, want to read all of King's books, you should probably read this one. But otherwise, this is one to be avoided, unless you'd like a demonstration of how personal demons seep into one's writing.

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