’Salem’s Lot in Around the Year in 52 Books

Feb 27, 2016 RebeccaErGlad MegetGlad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Because this book is so different from what I normally read, it’s quite hard to rate. 3,5 stars overall, 4 stars for the genre, maybe.

A writer moves back to a town he lived in in his childhood to confront some old daemons. The daemons turn out to be more real than expected.

There’s an honest brutality to this story that I appreciate. It seems that Stephen King isn’t afraid to let the story run its course, whatever that may entail, without it coming off like trying to shock the audience with “che Because this book is so different from what I normally read, it’s quite hard to rate. 3,5 stars overall, 4 stars for the genre, maybe.

A writer moves back to a town he lived in in his childhood to confront some old daemons. The daemons turn out to be more real than expected.

There’s an honest brutality to this story that I appreciate. It seems that Stephen King isn’t afraid to let the story run its course, whatever that may entail, without it coming off like trying to shock the audience with “cheap” thrills.

One of the themes that - to me – seems to weave through the entire book is the concept of evil. Or, Evil vs. evil. I respect the way King writes a book about Evil, that contains that amount of evil, and I guess that’s what does it for me. Yes, the story revolves around some pretty classic non-symbolic/figurative Evil, but this is portrayed as the lesser of the two evils. The “little”, everyday, socio-economic evil is also described unflinchingly in this book, and it seems so much worse, because it can’t be bested or killed or wiped out, without also ending humanity. The fact that you can read this as a lamentation of all the terrible, evil things that happen every day, but we can’t seem to stop, even though we know it’s happening, takes this book to the next level for me. Forgive me what I’m about to say, but it gives the book layers, like an onion..

Now, the compellable Evil, which actually is the point of the book. And the rest of the book. Let’s talk about that.

It had a great slow burn. At first, you forget it’s supposed to be horror, and you enjoy it as is. You’re a bit disgruntled that you’re not more scared, when, suddenly, you realize that yes, you’re scared, and yes, you’ve been freaking out for a while, without realizing it. At the same time, though, I feel the slow burn doesn’t truly become fully-fledged flame. This book didn’t get under my skin. I wasn’t remotely scared of the monster under my bed. I kept forgetting if the main character was named Ben or Bill. I just didn’t quite get any of them. I have no idea why. I keep thinking it was because they weren’t introduced thoroughly, but they were. Maybe it’s because they seems like such unique characters, and then still..

- Ben is an author who writes slightly artsy books with graphic sexual content. I say slightly artsy, because the storylines and titles seem too quirky for them to be pornographic. They aren’t pulp – the content seems to be there for artistic reasons. Ergo, he must be a sort of nerdy individual, who never managed to assimilate the “American Male” stereotype, and that just doesn’t mesh with him being "father in law"’s instant favourite. Not as FiL is described. Not to me, anyways.
- He and Susan totally hit it off, and suddenly they’re very serious, and I’m getting a show don’t tell sort of feeling. We’re told, that they talk with ease, as if their relationship is meant to happen. We just aren’t privy to all that fated conversation.
- Jimmy spends 100 pages being “the doctor”, 100p being “the unbelieving doctor”, 100p being the “guy who’s also there”, and so on.

I think it might be my fault. Maybe I didn’t read the book thoroughly enough. I also think the villain lacks personality, though I love his hair. And him, basically. I like Matt and Mark very much, though I have a hard time figuring out why a guy with a personality of an excellent teacher seems to be teaching with about as much charisma as mr. Binns. I think I might have misread, somehow.

The main problem was, that it simply wasn’t scary. And I thought that was kind of the point.

I realize it seems like I didn’t like it at all. I did like it, truly. It just didn’t spread any ripples or whatever. Sorry.

Really word count (before I deleted them): 3.
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