‘Pet Sematary’ by Stephen King

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

About to start a new job, Louis moves his family from Chicago to a rambling house in Maine, where his kids will have room to play and explore. The only downside is the main road between the house and the elderly neighbours across the street, where heavy trucks hurtle past with little care for the safety of pedestrians. The family’s daughter is keen to explore the woods behind the house, so guided by new neighbour Jud Crandall, Louis discovers the Pet Sematary – a place where local children have buried their dead pets for many years. But further on, through the dark woods to land once owned by the Micmac Indians, lies a more sinister burial ground…

I had the feeling I’d read this book many years ago, but though I knew the story from the original movie version (1989) – very different from the rubbish one they knocked out in 2019 – I didn’t remember the ending at all. Anyway, following the death (and ‘rebirth’) of a family pet, there’s a long build up to the finale, making the most of King’s superb scene-setting skills as our hero struggles with the death of his young son and the urge do something he’s already tried with a dead cat. Though it’s not the scariest book I’ve ever read, it’s certainly creepy and disturbing, and not one I’d recommend to anyone who struggles with fictional children dying horrible and bizarre deaths.

Great story with loads of atmosphere and an unsettling creepiness that leads to a horrific finale.

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