Amy's review
Bag of Bones
by Stephen King
Amy's review
Bag of Bones by Stephen King
Amy's review
rating:
recommended for: ghost fans
Most of this book is fabulous psychological haunting along the lines of *Haunting of Hill House*: subtle, wrenching, elegant. If King had omitted the obligatorily grotesque death scene and unnecessarily-detailed gang rape, I'm sure I would have been quite happy at the end.
As it was, I closed the book simultaneously satisfied, confused, and disturbed (and not in the intellectual disturbance which is actually rather pleasantly provocative). The once-quiet ghosts finally manifest in absurd ways, and the protagonist gradually lost my respect as his mindless lust for a girl half his age took over. However, I suspect that King did that on purpose: he doesn't like his main male characters to stay pristine. They are their own anti-heroes.
So, I place Bag of Bones at about the same level of The Shining––interesting and enjoyable to read, with great literary potential, but thwarted just before its climax in gore and fantasy. Even as a squeamish person who can no longer tolerate pure fa...more
As it was, I closed the book simultaneously satisfied, confused, and disturbed (and not in the intellectual disturbance which is actually rather pleasantly provocative). The once-quiet ghosts finally manifest in absurd ways, and the protagonist gradually lost my respect as his mindless lust for a girl half his age took over. However, I suspect that King did that on purpose: he doesn't like his main male characters to stay pristine. They are their own anti-heroes.
So, I place Bag of Bones at about the same level of The Shining––interesting and enjoyable to read, with great literary potential, but thwarted just before its climax in gore and fantasy. Even as a squeamish person who can no longer tolerate pure fa...more
