Bag of Bones by Stephen King Review
Scribner, September, 1998.Hardcover, 529 pages.
ISBN: 0684853507.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Michael Noonan, a successful novelist whose
books frequent the bestseller lists, has been overcome
with writer's block ever
since the tragic loss of his wife, Jo, in an accident
four years ago. The doctors could
not adequately explain the death, and blamed it on a
brain aneurysm. Michael is also suffering from vivid
dreams in which he suffers from "writer's walk"
where he is unable to approach Sarah Laughs, a cottage
he owns and a place he and his wife used to
frequent in the summer months. In his dreams
he is terrified of the cottage, and he comes to realize that the
only way to stop the nightmares
and the crippling writer's block is
to address his fears directly by visiting Sarah Laughs.
Luckily, during his three years
of writers block he has been able to use the "nuts"
he has stored during his writing career -- previous
novels he wrote and safely tucked away in a
safety deposit box in case of an emergency.
The author finds that Sarah Laughs is haunted
by something or someone. He also finds that his
wife had been visiting Sarah Laughs without his
knowing it, and that this may have had something to
do with her "accidental" death. Noonan must
overcome his deepest fears and discover
the mystery of the haunting and the town to
be able to somehow accept the loss of his wife
and move forward with his life.
Bag of Bones is an engrossing and compelling novel. We understand and feel Noonan's fears as he faces the unknown, feel his agony for his losses and sympathize with his writer's block. In addition to the love story of Noonan and his past wife, the novel also portrays a compelling ghost story that reaches back into the small town's repressed past. Through the eyes of the main character Noonan, we are also given a satirical insider's look at the publishing world as only as Stephen King could see it. Complex and intriguing, this is truly one of King's best works. Highly Recommended.
Return to the November 1998 issue of The IWJ.
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