Pet Sematary: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing Pet Sematary by Stephen King, the king of horror. Keep reading to find out what we thought of this novel and if you should add it to your reading list!

Pet Sematary Summary

Louis Creed and his family, a wife and two kids, are moving from Chicago to Maine for louis’ new job as the appointed director of the University of Maine’s campus health service. They meet their neighbor Jud Crandall who warns them about the highway that runs past their house that has led to the death of many pets. 

Jud leads the Creed family towards the forest behind the house and shows them the Pet Sematary where kids have been burying their pets for the past century. At the university, Louis tries to save the life of Victor Pascow who gets fatally wounded during a car accident. 

Victor’s final words are a warning to Louis and later that night, Louis dreams that Victor leads him to the Pet Sematary and warns him once again not to go past this point. 

When the family cat is killed one day, Jud leads Louis to the Pet Sematary and helps bring his cat back from the dead. But Winston Churchill seems different and smells horrible. Louis and the family are repulsed by him. But when another tragedy occurs, Louis finds himself drawn to the Pet Sematary once again to make everything right, no matter the consequence. 

Commentary

Pet Sematary was released in 1983 and has been adapted into two movies since then. The novel was inspired by Stephen King’s visit to the University of Maine and lived at a house that was near a highway where pets were often killed by speeding vehicles. King’s daughter’s cat was killed on that road and it led to this novel. 

King has said that this was the novel that scared him the most. Given the contents of the novel, I can imagine why. This was the first King novel that I finished and I enjoyed the plot but was not a fan of King’s writing style. It feels mechanical and isn’t always engaging. 

I can see why the novel was a success and it contains tropes that became prevalent in movies in the 1990s and the 2000s. King has shaped the horror genre with his novels and adaptations and that is evident in this novel. 

The novel wasn’t well received by critics and I am not surprised. This novel lacks a writing style that would hook book lovers. The plot is predictable and it feels like King takes the long way to get around to the inevitable. 

Conclusion

It has taken me a long time to finish my first Stephen King novel and it might also be my last. His novels may not be for me and that is okay. 

Pet Sematary is a good horror novel that has a interesting plot. King does drag the plot out a bit but it has its moments. If I didn’t dislike King’s writing style, I would be more open to reading more books by him. If you like horror novels, then this novel is worth checking out. Happy reading!

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