“And the most terrifying question of all may be just how much horror the human mind can stand and still maintain a wakeful, staring, unrelenting sanity.”

― Stephen King, Pet Sematary

 Disclaimer: the book does contain disturbing text, profanity, and death in the family It should not be taken lightly. 

The horror novel Pet Sematary by Stephen King takes place in the modern-day, as a reader follows the character named Louis Creed, a doctor. He lives with his wife and two children and has recently moved to Ludlow, Maine to pursue his career professionally. The readers are also introduced to supporting characters named Jud and Norma. They are the family’s neighbors and are the only other people in the residence.  Things become twisted once Jud introduces Louis to the neighborhood’s forest and discovers an unusual cemetery that has a supernatural history of bringing the buried back to life.  

 Pet Sematary is a very captivating horror book. It contains a ton of interesting moments that occur all throughout the story. One example is when we are introduced to the family’s new cat named Church, and we start to see more strange occurrences that foreshadow the cat’s impending demise. Once the cat has met its fate, the readers of the novel are inclined to know what’s going to happen with the cat. Through these events, we are given a deeper understanding of the cemetery that lies deep in the forest.

One event relatable to some readers is the death of one of the characters. The details it provides about losing a loved one can be very relatable which makes the story even more hard-hitting. King also provides details on how the character died.  This death made me stop reading the book for a couple of days due to its sudden timing.

One detail worth mentioning about this book is that it has such a way with words. Even those who find the book boring will probably agree it holds a lot of meaning. One example of this is when Jud says, “The soil of a man’s heart is stonier, Louis. A man grows what he can, and he tends it. ‘Cause what you buy, is what you own. And what you own… always comes home to you.”

From the start, it’s like there’s a bad omen (which is a theme in the story) and you know something is going to go wrong.