73 pages • 2 hours read
Stephen KingA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
King speaks about this book being the most terrifying he has ever written: “I was horrified by what I had written, and the conclusions I’d drawn” (xiii). He speaks about living for a time in a rural Maine town which featured a dangerous road and a pet cemetery like the one in the book. His daughter’s cat was run over and buried in the pet cemetery, which made his daughter furious at God. A little later, the author’s infant son was almost run over by one of the trucks. After King finished writing the book, he put it away for six weeks then reread it. Upon finding it too horrible to imagine, he put it back in a drawer, sure it would never be published. King concludes by reiterating the central theme of the novel: sometimes dead is better.
The introduction serves to substantiate King’s story within the realm of reality. Here, the reader understands that Louis Creed serves as a mirror, reflecting King’s own thoughts and personality. Perhaps this is the reason why King is so terrified of the novel that he has written, as he imagines himself to be the
Featured Collections