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An erotic game with handcuffs between husband and wife. One of them won't make it through the night. For the survivor, death would have been a blessing..
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sturlington These two books are thematically related and tied together by a full eclipse of the sun that occurs at a climactic moment.
20
beckylynn Not exactly a ghost story like Bag of Bones, but thrilling to the end. Starts off fast (however does have sexual content).
13
Member Reviews
I have mixed feelings on this novel, but most of them end up in a positive place. I really, really enjoy the ending. It goes back and forth between supernatural and real and supernatural and real, and it lands really well. I think this is one of the best endings of a Stephen King I've seen. I loved the intertwining with Dolores Claiborne and all the eclipse stuff, I love the horror that comes from the dog, and I found Jessie's flashback (readers of this will know what I'm talking about) absolutely horrifying. I can't imagine anything else being scarier than what happened at Dark Score Lake, unless it's supernatural, and even then, that event was the most disturbing thing I've read in a King book. Which is exactly what I wanted.
Regular show more horror has become a bit boring to me. That is why stuff like The Only Good Indians has been appealing to me. It spins horror in a new way, in that case it's the native culture aspect. But I've been looking for books that push the envelope to get to a new type of horror. I've been down the splatterpunk rabbit holes and found some awful things. And right alongside those titles, Gerald's Game kept coming up. That pushed it to the top of my TBR, and it did not disappoint. I see why it is regarded as another tier of disturbing compared to other horror works, and even other Stephen King titles. It gets mentioned around books like Tampa and Tender Is the Flesh for crying out loud. And it definitely deserves it. show less
Regular show more horror has become a bit boring to me. That is why stuff like The Only Good Indians has been appealing to me. It spins horror in a new way, in that case it's the native culture aspect. But I've been looking for books that push the envelope to get to a new type of horror. I've been down the splatterpunk rabbit holes and found some awful things. And right alongside those titles, Gerald's Game kept coming up. That pushed it to the top of my TBR, and it did not disappoint. I see why it is regarded as another tier of disturbing compared to other horror works, and even other Stephen King titles. It gets mentioned around books like Tampa and Tender Is the Flesh for crying out loud. And it definitely deserves it. show less
The more I think about this book the more my feelings shift from just disappointed to outright anger. The handling of the CSA in graphic detail yet barely a glimpse of attention to the death of the abusive men. The fact that a book centered on Jessie and her trauma and the feminist themes that were encoded in the premise alone of breaking free from her handcuffs that shackle her life by two differently awful yet still similar men, was handled poorly. The voices of these people in her life that make up her and their banter wasn't a slog when it could have been providing insight for this character. The way the ending shifts to be reassuring about the police and that the big baddie wasn't her father that molested her nor her husband that show more was going to commit martial rape but instead was a random ‘figure of death’ that actually turns out to be a gay, necrophiliac pedophile that likes to wear lingerie and has schizophrenia.
There was so much potential for an empowering and horrifying story but King, like always, fails miserably to the point that the only potential his stories have is the general plot premise. His work remains best as living in the a bargin bin and reading the plot on a back before being tossed back and privately mused on while alone. Otherwise his writing sucks the potential out of these premises to make you so utterly exhausted that you don't even care enough to reimagine the better story you were hoping for. show less
There was so much potential for an empowering and horrifying story but King, like always, fails miserably to the point that the only potential his stories have is the general plot premise. His work remains best as living in the a bargin bin and reading the plot on a back before being tossed back and privately mused on while alone. Otherwise his writing sucks the potential out of these premises to make you so utterly exhausted that you don't even care enough to reimagine the better story you were hoping for. show less
The book starts out in surprising territory for King: a sexual game being played by Gerald Burlingame, who has just handcuffed his wife Jessie to the bed. This is not the first time this game has been played -- it's an old routine at this point, one which Jessie never particularly liked and has now grown quite bored with, to the point of frustration. She tells her husband that she doesn't want to do it this time, but he presses on. In the ensuing struggle, he has a heart attack and dies, leaving her handcuffed to the bed, in the middle of nowhere.
That's when the story really starts. King's real strength in this story is not just in telling what happens to Jessie in her predicament, but King uses this device to tell the story of how she show more got there in the first place. What sort of woman is Jessie? What events led her to this place, this man, this scenario? In the course of the story, as Jessie struggles to free herself from her bonds, we also find out why she is there.
In the end, "Gerald's Game" is not one of King's easier stories to read. It deals with some real issues, and its terrors are only too plausible. Unlike "The Shining" or "Cujo," it's difficult to put this book down at the end and convince oneself that the same thing couldn't happen to you. It's not a book about the scary monster that comes from under the bed. No, in the final analysis "Gerald's Game" is about the monsters who sleep in the bed with you, cleverly disguised, and about those monsters who were there to shape your past. show less
That's when the story really starts. King's real strength in this story is not just in telling what happens to Jessie in her predicament, but King uses this device to tell the story of how she show more got there in the first place. What sort of woman is Jessie? What events led her to this place, this man, this scenario? In the course of the story, as Jessie struggles to free herself from her bonds, we also find out why she is there.
In the end, "Gerald's Game" is not one of King's easier stories to read. It deals with some real issues, and its terrors are only too plausible. Unlike "The Shining" or "Cujo," it's difficult to put this book down at the end and convince oneself that the same thing couldn't happen to you. It's not a book about the scary monster that comes from under the bed. No, in the final analysis "Gerald's Game" is about the monsters who sleep in the bed with you, cleverly disguised, and about those monsters who were there to shape your past. show less
This was WAY better the second time around! I first read this in the mid- to late-90's, I think. I remember finding it interesting and well-written, but it never jumped into my little group of favorites of King's. However, this past summer (as a total solar eclipse was set to occur in my little part of the world), I decided to re-read Dolores Claiborne.... and, on the heels of that, I decided to revisit this book, which I'd basically found to be "just okay".
I don't know if it's because I've been married for twenty years now and could relate to the intricacies of Jessie & Gerald's relationship, or if it's just that I'm older and have had more life experience than before? I'm really not sure. What I do know is that this book was show more AH-MAZING! I love the strong feminist stance that ends up shining through the whole story. (Incidentally, I've always admired King's feminist tendencies--he does such a GREAT job of writing strong female characters without making them hideous, nasty bitches or dried up, frigid old prunes. Good on you, Mr. King!)
I've been spending some time, recently, listening to many of the King books I've known and loved for years.... it's interesting to hear it read in someone else's voice. I've found, overall, that simple nuances are brought forth more frequently than when I'm reading the print version.... I'll never stop reading print, believe me. I just like the new light the audio versions are shining on my old favorites! show less
I don't know if it's because I've been married for twenty years now and could relate to the intricacies of Jessie & Gerald's relationship, or if it's just that I'm older and have had more life experience than before? I'm really not sure. What I do know is that this book was show more AH-MAZING! I love the strong feminist stance that ends up shining through the whole story. (Incidentally, I've always admired King's feminist tendencies--he does such a GREAT job of writing strong female characters without making them hideous, nasty bitches or dried up, frigid old prunes. Good on you, Mr. King!)
I've been spending some time, recently, listening to many of the King books I've known and loved for years.... it's interesting to hear it read in someone else's voice. I've found, overall, that simple nuances are brought forth more frequently than when I'm reading the print version.... I'll never stop reading print, believe me. I just like the new light the audio versions are shining on my old favorites! show less
Stephen King sin duda alguna es un escritor fuera de serie, por supuesto su imaginación no tiene límites y a pesar de que él siempre diga que lo han encasillado en cierto género, la verdad es que más bien creo que a él le encanta escribir sobre toda esa parte retorcida de los seres humanos.
La historia de este libro es increíblemente agobiante, Jessie y Gerald se van de fin de semana a una casa de campo para tener unos días juntos y además probar algunos juegos sexuales, así pues, Gerald ata con unas esposas a Jessie en la cama y sin entrar en detalles Gerald muere y Jessie se queda esposada en la cama sin posibilidades de que nadie la escuche, vaya a buscarla y sin poder moverse.
La historia es una genialidad no solo por el show more argumento que acabo de contar, si no todo lo que sucede en la cabeza de Jessie, toda su retrospectiva, su angustia, su miedo, su pánico, su terror, los mecanismos de autodefensa y este eterno monólogo que tiene Jessie durante el proceso y todo lo que le sucede, a partir más o menos del 35% del libro viene un quiebre de historia, de ritmo narrativo e incluso del ambiente creado alrededor de los hechos. Desde la primera hasta la última página este libro es absolutamente genial.
Pero más allá de la historia, tenemos la pluma de Stephen King, la manera en que nos ha creado el ambiente, se siente la angustia, de hecho, me ha costado mucho trabajo leer este libro por eso mismo, me costaba continuar porque de verdad me asfixiaba, lo había abandonado por ese motivo en una ocasión y en esta segunda oportunidad, no digo que quise abandonar, pero sí que me costó tener que pasarme el trago de la angustia.
Ahora bien, la genialidad no se queda en la forma en que nos recrea ese ambiente, si no la forma en que King va cambiando de ritmo, de ambiente e incluso de estilo narrativo conforme va avanzando la historia, así como Jessie va evolucionando en la historia, así King con su estilo narrativo, donde había asfixia y angustia, ahora hay miedo y pánico, donde había miedo, ahora hay calma y luego el ritmo narrativo se acelera para volver a caer en bajada para terminar en la calma.
De verdad ha sido fascinante ir recorriendo este camino con Stephen King, me cuesta trabajo expresar con palabras la mucha inteligencia literaria que he visto en este libro, que, como he dicho, va mucho más allá de una simple historia.
El final fue completamente inesperado para mí, por supuesto que me gustó y también me gustó mucho el personaje de Jessie, tan complejo.
Fue fascinante leer este libro, por la historia y por la manera en que este señor genio literario va cambiando y adaptándose a su propia historia. show less
La historia de este libro es increíblemente agobiante, Jessie y Gerald se van de fin de semana a una casa de campo para tener unos días juntos y además probar algunos juegos sexuales, así pues, Gerald ata con unas esposas a Jessie en la cama y sin entrar en detalles Gerald muere y Jessie se queda esposada en la cama sin posibilidades de que nadie la escuche, vaya a buscarla y sin poder moverse.
La historia es una genialidad no solo por el show more argumento que acabo de contar, si no todo lo que sucede en la cabeza de Jessie, toda su retrospectiva, su angustia, su miedo, su pánico, su terror, los mecanismos de autodefensa y este eterno monólogo que tiene Jessie durante el proceso y todo lo que le sucede, a partir más o menos del 35% del libro viene un quiebre de historia, de ritmo narrativo e incluso del ambiente creado alrededor de los hechos. Desde la primera hasta la última página este libro es absolutamente genial.
Pero más allá de la historia, tenemos la pluma de Stephen King, la manera en que nos ha creado el ambiente, se siente la angustia, de hecho, me ha costado mucho trabajo leer este libro por eso mismo, me costaba continuar porque de verdad me asfixiaba, lo había abandonado por ese motivo en una ocasión y en esta segunda oportunidad, no digo que quise abandonar, pero sí que me costó tener que pasarme el trago de la angustia.
Ahora bien, la genialidad no se queda en la forma en que nos recrea ese ambiente, si no la forma en que King va cambiando de ritmo, de ambiente e incluso de estilo narrativo conforme va avanzando la historia, así como Jessie va evolucionando en la historia, así King con su estilo narrativo, donde había asfixia y angustia, ahora hay miedo y pánico, donde había miedo, ahora hay calma y luego el ritmo narrativo se acelera para volver a caer en bajada para terminar en la calma.
De verdad ha sido fascinante ir recorriendo este camino con Stephen King, me cuesta trabajo expresar con palabras la mucha inteligencia literaria que he visto en este libro, que, como he dicho, va mucho más allá de una simple historia.
El final fue completamente inesperado para mí, por supuesto que me gustó y también me gustó mucho el personaje de Jessie, tan complejo.
Fue fascinante leer este libro, por la historia y por la manera en que este señor genio literario va cambiando y adaptándose a su propia historia. show less
This is one of my favourite books, I started it (foolishly) before bed, finished it in one sitting and then didn’t sleep without a light on for a week. It narrates so well, it’s so real-life, gripping, flits back and forth through her life/past/trauma, their relationship, losing grip on what is and isn’t real and desperately trying to survive. You’re right there with her trying to work out what her options are, how on Earth she can survive and most importantly what is hallucinations and what is reality. This is one of the rare books that sticks with me and still freaks me out, typical King playing with those deep dark fears we all have, a must read
it's easy to see where this started - that 'what if' this happens question that authors can't help but answer. king manages to write a book that is 95% just one person in one room (plus flashbacks, which helps) and keep it exciting and the pages turning. i thought it was actually a really smart way to make it work - combining the flashbacks with the 'voices' in jessie's head, making it as if there are more people than just jessie that we're reading about. (otherwise it's a tall order to really have only one character that you're writing about, even with the flashbacks.) also, he throws in the question of whether or not jessie is going crazy (which would be understandable in that situation) that could really go either way up until the show more end.
i thought that king also does a pretty passable job at talking about misogyny and sexual assault. (maybe not as well or as in depth as women would, but he does a good job, and it matters to have men talk about it and acknowledge it the way he does.) i'm glad that he didn't leave this stuff out in a book about this, that he was willing to write about it head-on. i think that's important, and this is a better book for it.
this is different than i remember. the premise was all i still had in my head, and i didn't know it was more about a woman dealing with her past abuse and coming back to herself more than anything else. the shades of aaron ralston's story (between a rock and a hard place) came to mind and kept it exciting, for sure, but this was more about healing and becoming, even friendship.
"Twelve-twelve-twelve, the clock flashed, and whatever time it really was, it was time." show less
i thought that king also does a pretty passable job at talking about misogyny and sexual assault. (maybe not as well or as in depth as women would, but he does a good job, and it matters to have men talk about it and acknowledge it the way he does.) i'm glad that he didn't leave this stuff out in a book about this, that he was willing to write about it head-on. i think that's important, and this is a better book for it.
this is different than i remember. the premise was all i still had in my head, and i didn't know it was more about a woman dealing with her past abuse and coming back to herself more than anything else. the shades of aaron ralston's story (between a rock and a hard place) came to mind and kept it exciting, for sure, but this was more about healing and becoming, even friendship.
"Twelve-twelve-twelve, the clock flashed, and whatever time it really was, it was time." show less
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Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, he became a teacher. His spare time was spent writing short stories and novels. King's first novel would never have been published if not for his wife. She removed the first few show more chapters from the garbage after King had thrown them away in frustration. Three months later, he received a $2,500 advance from Doubleday Publishing for the book that went on to sell a modest 13,000 hardcover copies. That book, Carrie, was about a girl with telekinetic powers who is tormented by bullies at school. She uses her power, in turn, to torment and eventually destroy her mean-spirited classmates. When United Artists released the film version in 1976, it was a critical and commercial success. The paperback version of the book, released after the movie, went on to sell more than two-and-a-half million copies. Many of King's other horror novels have been adapted into movies, including The Shining, Firestarter, Pet Semetary, Cujo, Misery, The Stand, and The Tommyknockers. Under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, King has written the books The Running Man, The Regulators, Thinner, The Long Walk, Roadwork, Rage, and It. He is number 2 on the Hollywood Reporter's '25 Most Powerful Authors' 2016 list. King is one of the world's most successful writers, with more than 100 million copies of his works in print. Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages, and he writes new books at a rate of about one per year. In 2003, he received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. In 2012 his title, The Wind Through the Keyhole made The New York Times Best Seller List. King's title's Mr. Mercedes and Revival made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2014. He won the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 2015 for Best Novel with Mr. Mercedes. King's title Finders Keepers made the New York Times bestseller list in 2015. Sleeping Beauties is his latest 2017 New York Times bestseller. (Bowker Author Biography) Stephen King is the author of more than thirty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are "Hearts in Atlantis", "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon", "Bag of Bones", & "The Green Mile". "On Writing" is his first book of nonfiction since "Danse Macabre", published in 1981. He served as a judge for Prize Stories: The Best of 1999, The O. Henry Awards. He lives in Bangor, Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. King's book, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories, made the 2015 New York Times bestseller list. (Publisher Provided) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Gerald's Game
- Original title
- Gerald's Game
- Original publication date
- 1992-05
- People/Characters
- Jessie Burlingame; Gerald Burlingame; The Space Cowboy; Ruth Neary; Nora Callighan; Alan Pangborn
- Important places
- Maine, USA; Castle Rock, Maine, USA
- Important events
- Total eclipse of the sun (July 20, 1963)
- Related movies
- Gerald's Game (2017 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- {Sadie} gathered herself together. No one could describe the scorn of her expression or the contemptuous hatred she put into her answer.
"You men! You filthy dirty pig! You're all the same, all of you! Pigs! Pig... (show all)s!"
-- W. Somerset Maugham,
"Rain" - Dedication
- This book is dedicated, with love and admiration, to six good women:
Margaret Spruce Morehouse
Catherine Spruce Graves
Stephanie Spruce Leonard
Anne Spruce Labree
Tabitha Spruce King
Marcella Sprice - First words
- Jessie could hear the back door banging lightly, randomly, in the October breeze blowing around the house.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)When a cold February wind blew beneath the eaves and moaned in the chimney, she burrowed deeper beneath the comforters. . . .but that small, wise smile did not fade.
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.54
- Canonical LCC
- PS3561.I483
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