I have an over-active imagination. For as long as I can remember, it’s always been that way for me. I’m afraid of the dark (I can’t go from one room to another without leaving a trail of lights – turn light B on before turning light A off…), I’m convinced that there is always a monster (or worse – a murderer) under my bed and it will grab me when I have to get out of bed in the middle of the night (though now my bed has no space between the floor and the box springs, so that fear isn’t as strong as it used to be), and I’m always creating different dream worlds in my head. So after a week of reading Lisey’s Story, my mind is all over the place. Reading a Stephen King book is always hard work for me – not because they’re poorly written but quite the opposite. He writes so fantastically and detailed that it takes up every ounce of energy to read his books because of my imagination. Lisey’s Story was no exception for my mind feels like mush now and I think that I might need a few days of recovery before I jump into my next book.Lisey Landon is a widow of a celebrated author. Two years after his death, she has finally decided to take on the daunting task of going through her late husband’s papers and books. But it turns into more than just going through mementos…she also has to delve deep into memories she has buried deep into the recesses of her mind. Memories of her husband’s horrifying childhood and the secret place he would go to escape and to recover. These memories are only accessed by finding clues left by her deceased husband and are important for they are the only things that can help save her sister…and, more importantly, herself.
Lisey’s Story is more than King’s typical horror book. Even though there were some pretty freaky parts where I was sitting with my feet curled under my body, biting the inside of my lip and chewing on my fingernails, there was more to it than that. It is a beautifully written story, with clever play on words and plots circling around marriage and sisterhood and the importance of these two relationships. It's a love story as much as it is a nail-biter and the strength of the main character is one that makes you want to cheer her on and hug her at the same time. Whether you are a King fan or not, I highly recommend this book.
5 comments:
The Stephen King books I've read have scared the sh*t out of me. It's been a long time and I think it's time I re-visited this author again. He is brilliant in his own right.
Oh and I'm totally digging the "nail-biter" label!
I used to love horror books and horror movies. Now, they scare me too much. I think my imagination is too over-active.
Also, I am the same way about lights! Even in my small 1 bedroom apartment, I go into the other room, turn that light on, then come back and turn of the first light. Thought I was the only one!
Airam - His books scare the hell out of me, too. I usually have to read some kind of floofy romance novel afterwards. When I read IT, it was back when I lived in an apartment complex and was before my wedding, so I was really active in working out to shed some pounds, so I would get up really early in the morning while it was still dark and walk to the workout room. On the way there, I had to pass tons of those damn sewer entrances. I'm glad you like the label...nail-biter seemed better than horror since this wasn't really a horror book.
A - I've been getting that way, too. But only with the psychological stuff...my heart starts pounding so hard that I think it's going to explode. I don't know many other people who do the light thing either! It's nice to know we're not alone, eh?
I've been a Stephen King fan since my early teens. However, I've been having a really hard time with this book - I'm probably almost 1/2 way through, and still unable to get into it. I put it down about a month ago and read other things in the meantime. I think I'll give it another try now. :o)
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