Gerald's Game

by Stephen King

Gerald’s Game is the story of a sexual fantasy gone wrong. After an unexpected incident with her husband, Jessie remains handcuffed to the bedpost. In typical fashion, Stephen King makes something happen in a story where nothing happens. We enter into the mind of Jessie as she deals with her fate, at the same time trying to escape it. We experience thirst, fear, and reflection with Jessie through the author’s spectacular writing.

This book is a very interesting read, and I found myself running the gamut of emotions along with Jessie. I was thirsty, terrified, and in cringe-worthy agony. What I didn’t expect was what we learn from Jessie’s periods of introspection. These parts of the book were also very well written, and were practically a story in itself. What I mean by this is that many elements of this book could have stood alone as separate stories. It is almost as if a short story could be written about A, B, and C. This is not meant to imply that the story did not fit well together, rather that each facet of the story was sufficiently developed that it could have been a story unto itself.

At the same time, my one critique would have to be with the ending. I’m always afraid that with these reviews I’m going to reveal too much about the book. In addition, I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading it by saying I am unhappy with the ending. Regardless, the ending was very weak. In fact, it was the only part of the book that seemed disjointed and disconnected from the actual story. It was unnecessary, and didn’t really tie things up. There are some issues that are not resolved, but I can’t say that I really noticed initially.

Overall this book was very well written, and the action keeps going throughout. (I have to laugh when I say action since the book is about a woman chained to a bed). Aside from some disturbing material, I would definitely recommend this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Mr. X by Peter Straub