Retro Review: Pet Sematary by Stephen King

In honor of Stephen King's birthday, I'm republishing this retro review of one of my favorite books from my tumblr blog.

Would I call myself a fan of Stephen King? I’m not sure. Some his works are absolute genius and others…well there are a couple that I almost didn’t finish. But, man, tonight as I watched the movie, Pet Semetary, I remembered why I loved that book so much.

Growing up, my mother had a wonderful network of great aunts and uncles that she was very close to, but as she grew older, so did they. By time I was born, her loved ones already had begun to pass away and as a family we always attended their funerals.

My Grandpa

I tell you this not to be macabre, but to let you know that even as a child I knew a little more about death than most kids did. Unfortunately, it still didn’t prepare me for the loss of a beloved family pet, my mentor or the most painful one - my grandfather.

That’s why Pet Semetary hit me so hard. There’s very little I wouldn’t give up to spend one more day with Grandpa, but unlike Louis in the book, I understand that memory is a better way to keep someone alive.