Book Review #7 — Cujo
A raw take of my views on the Stephen King book, Cujo
I was confused about picking this book up to read from the time I heard that King was not even aware of writing this book. The reason I decided to read this might not be ideal. I started King with The Shining and was so enchanted and engrossed in his writing, so much so that I decided to test myself next with his 1300-page magnum opus IT. That had double the effect compared to my first outing with King. The King multiverse added as a catalyst to this excitement and that urged me to read his highly-rated epic Dark Tower series. There were ’n’ number of reading orders for a wholesome experience of the Dark Tower journey. What the heck, I thought and decided to go chronologically in the order of publication. So here are my observations on this book.
THE GOOD
The best part about this book is the tension that builds upon simple but powerful conflicts throughout the story. There is much to be learned about the fact that King has made so much use of the characters surrounding the main plot, i.e. the survival of a mother and her son from a rabid Saint Bernard. The story probably touches upon every human (and dog) emotion. The helplessness of a parent trying to save her son, the husband stuck between professional and personal life, the wife trying to get away from her jail (home), the boy who cares about his dog dearly, and importantly the dog’s unintended rage were all brilliantly captured. The ending was so heart-wrenching that it had an after-effect on me for a few days.
THE BAD
The story takes some time to establish the setting and the characters until it takes off. Usually, the supernatural element in King’s stories is tightly coupled with the story but here it felt a bit misplaced and stretched a little too much.
FINAL SAY
This book could be a great start to King’s universe and his fictional town: Castle Rock which recurs in many books. It is a relatively shorter book as well considering King’s previous works. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (though I did not believe it would be the case) to be honest and cannot wait to pick up the next book on my way to the Dark Tower!
My Goodreads account: https://www.goodreads.com/kiwincardoza
