Gerald's Game

Rating:
Summary: Nicely Done
Review: This is your typical thriller, almost.

Woman gets immobiled on her own bed and during her struggle to be free, she becomes the prey of It. How is It going to get her? Will she be free before It gets to her?

Gerald's Game is not your usual horror-thriller creation that is so Stephen King-like. It is almost bare of supernatural stuff but the quest for survival and the voices of a deranged mind makes you want to read for more.

The storyline deals with one's skeleton in the closet. How long are we willing to keep it in ourselves and let it eat into us before we'd seek help in ridding it? The heroine in the story learns the path to recovery the hard way.

King has made the voices in Jessie's head a character on their own and it was easy to picture Goody (plump housewifish-looking, pink cheeks?), Ruth (hippy-type, long hair, ciggie on her lips?) and Punkin (cute little innocent girl?), who all add much color to the tale.

Although I wasn't very caught up in the book (it didn't make me want to know what Jessie was going to do next to save herself - that almost became a bore itself), it was interesting to read once I could get myself down to the book again.

Low chill factor, but the end which culminates to the heroine's victory is heart-warming.

Rating:
Summary: Better than you might expect
Review: Perhaps the most horrifying moment that a perspective reader could have in confronting the idea of reading Gerald's Game is that time when he realizes that, yes, Stephen King really did write a book trying to confront gender issues. That just FEELS like a bad match, considering the recent history that King had at the time (It is arguably one of the most misogynistic books I've ever read). That said, this book isn't so badly done and, contrary to popular opinion, it's not that much of a departure from "typical" Stephen King.

The book itself tries out an old plot device for King--those who have read Cujo may notice a little of the same formula at work here. The interludes away from the main plot sequence take another form (flashbacks instead of concurrent real-time events), but the structure is essentially the same. While sticking to a formula might seem to be a flaw for the book at first, it turns out to be one of the novel's greatest strengths. Cujo was a well paced and plotted adventure, and Gerald's Game shares those qualities with it. There are occasions in some of King's books (It comes to mind, along with The Stand) where you can sit and read for an hour and feel like you haven't gotten anywhere in the book. That's not a problem here. Another nifty side effect of the format the novel takes is that it neatly cuts off one of Stephen King's more maligned tendencies before it has a chance to develop. Since the number of characters the book can deal with is necessarily limited, there's little opportunity for bloat.

The end result is that you've got a solid, if unexceptional book that anybody ought to be able to comfortably pass a few hours with. There aren't any fundamental revelations regarding gender relations, and the subject matter obviously precludes some readers from picking the novel up (this is, after all, a tale of rough sex gone bad, with a little bit of molestation thrown in for good measure, so you might want to think twice before you let your teenager read this), but the story itself is concise, taut, and well paced and written. Long-time fans of King will be happy to see some old characters make cameo appearances (uh huh--Needful Things was the last Castle Rock story....riiiiight), while newcomers will find an engaging story that will entertain the imagination, even if it doesn't engage the higher mind.

Rating:
Summary: Gerald's Game
Review: I've read almost all of Stephen King, and this was the only one that literally made me gasp in fright. Sounds girly, but that's me. Only other time that happened was watching 'Ring 2'. So yeah, it's scary.
I guess all the other reviewers have said it all. But it's somehow so much scarier than anything else, especially if you're reading in BED late at night. Or even in the morning. I would love to see them try to make a film from this. Jessie's character is so well defined, you feel like you're her. In that way it's like 'The Blair Witch Project' but with only one person. That's how much it draws you in. No random hacking and slashing here. If you want short, sharp horror, buy this or 'Cujo', or 'Salem's Lot' -King's three scariest short books. 'Running Man' is OK too, in a 1984-ish way. But this is ace. Compared to 'Needful Things', anyway.

Rating:
Summary: A Horrific Book
Review: Gerald's Game is the second Stephen King book that I have read. I started to read novels by Stephen King because a friend recommended it to me. He said that since I liked books and movies with suspense and horror, then I should read Stephen King books. I took his advice and Stephen King became one of my favorite authors. I was so attached to reading Gerald's Game that I didn't realize how fast time flew by. I just thought that the book was too interesting to let go.

The story takes place in the bedroom of Jessie and Gerald Burlingame's cabin, with a twenty-eight hour time period. There, the married couple play an intimate sex game called "Gerald's Game," which involves the use of handcuffs. They have played this game a couple of times before and enjoyed it. However, Jessie decided that she didn't want to play the game anymore. By the time she made this decision, she was already handcuffed to the bedposts. She repeatedly asked Gerald to release her, but he wouldn't listen. Out of fright, Jessie kicked him and he fell off the bed, head first, causing him to die instantly.

Jessie is now alone and handcuffed to the bedposts. But, she's no completely alone. She begins to hear voices in her head, which later on bring up painful memories of Jessie's past. She realizes that the voices in her head belonged to people she once knew.

Then Jessie started to get visitors. She was first visited by a stray dog, who took an interest in Gerald's dead body. At night, she is visited by a strange looking creature that stood at the corner of her room starring at her. At first she thinks the strange creature is her dead father, but it's not. It's the strange figure who exists in our imagination.

Gerald's Game is a book that will make those who are already scared of the dark even more afraid. It will also make a person appreciate how lucky he/she is to be able to move around freely, and not be lying helplessly on a bed handcuffed to the bedposts.

Rating:
Summary: Instant fan maker
Review: I should start by saying that Gerald's Game is the first Stephen King novel I have read. Stephen King was one of those authors I could take or leave before, but now I can't wait to read more of his work. I could not put this book down!Talk about a page turner: a taut psychological thriller in which King takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. I found myself really and truly feeling for Jessie. What's more, when you think about it, is King's ability to create an entire novel out of one woman's thoughts as she lies handcuffed to a bed in a deserted lake house. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Gerald's Game, however, is the twist- never, in your wildest dreams, would you see it coming.

Rating:
Summary: A Tense Psychological Thriller!
Review: After finishing Gerald's Game, I feel like I have just fallen out of the visionary world Stephen King has written, and anybody can journey to it by picking up this book. From start to finish, this is psychological terror at its best, and if a person was entranced as I was they could finish this book in about 2 days if they felt the need to, because the reader just has to know the outcome to the story or he would go insane waiting to see what happens. Although Gerald's Game deals with some very controversial subject matter, such as child abuse and sex, this book is not overshadowed by the mature subject matter. This was once in fact supposed to be a movie, but the producers had no idea how to show somebody topless for the entire movie without recieving an NC-17 rating, so they just dropped the whole movie idea. Here below is a quick overview of the story and the writing:

Story: As the novel opens, we meet timid Housewife Jessie Burlingame, who is still haunted by an accident from the past, and her husband, Gerald Burlingame, the curious husband who has a slight heart problem. Both of them are vacationing at their Lake House when Gerald decides to pull out his handcuffs and test them out on Jessie. Jessie is then handcuffed to both of the bedposts, with only 6 inches of armroom allowed. With Jessie still locked up and the keys all the way across the room, Gerald suffers a fatal heart attack, leaving Jessie hopelessly handcuffed with no way to get out of the bed. As time passes, Gerald's body starts looking pretty scrumptious to a hungry stray, who ventures into the house and starts turning Gerald into Dogfood. All the while Jessie valiantly tries to get a water glass full of water off the shelf that is just barely out of her reach, but she has to try or else she fears she may just go insane. As her hunger and thirst deepens, Jessie begins having recurring dreams about her disturbing childhood that is tarnished by the memory of her father abusing her as a child. As she learns to deal with her inner demons, she soon notices demons aren't only in her dreams, but in the corner of her bedroom. A gaunt shadow stands there watching her throughout the night, and she realizes to her dismay the shadow is real. The only way Jessie can get out of her predicament is to overcome her inner demons and and try not to go mad, while at the same time she must figure out a way to get out of her impenetrable stronghold with all of her options gone except for an empty glass on the bedstand. Jessie learns to overcome fear and herself in the ultimate battle for survival.

Writing: Stephen King constantly amazes me at his always changing and everdevoloping writing styles, and with Gerald's Game, he once again he has done it. Although not as descriptive as say Cujo or The Shining, Gerald's Game describes things beautifully through similes and metaphors that are well-crafted and thought-out. What really amazes me about the writing is the relentlessness of the plot and how he sounds like the Camp Counselor telling ghost stories around the fire, increasing the tension and making you gasp once or twice for good measure. Stephen King is definitely writing in his "I Want to Tell You A Story" mode, never letting the plot lag and the story get muddled with needless subplots that have no basis. GREAT!

Rating:
Summary: King's worst piece of work
Review: I really shouldn't be reviewing Gerald's Game because I couldn't quite finish it (and there have been VERY few books I never finished). It was BORING. King took the passive approach in terror this time and terror is anything but passive. Basically, a woman gets left chained to a bed when her husband dies of a heart attack in the middle of his sex game (there's a little more to it than that but that's the jest). Of course, she's chained up at their little vacation home where no one is around for miles. And she's traumatized by the whole experience. She basically reflects on other horrible experiences she has'then a dog comes'more horrible memories. I just couldn't take it. If you want something a little more fast paced but scary try Bag or Bones or The Shining. If you want a lot of character development, try the Stand. If you want something that's not so scary, but an emotional thriller, the Dead Zone is the best. In sum, this was not one of King's best. I admit he can be long winded at times, but this was his worst case yet.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely captivating!
Review: Is it just me, or are the novels where the premise isn't supernatural at all ("Misery" and "Gerald's Game") the best ones King writes? This is completely spellbinding, and definately my favourite King book. For me, it's usually how good the characters are which is an important factor in deciding how good a book is, and here they're brilliant. Jessie is great in herself, but all her voices--Goodwife Burlingame, Ruth Neary, Punkin et al--are King at his best. This book is fantastic--it's haunting, eerie, lonely, and SO atmospheric. You feel every second of Jessie's pain and torment, and you get really involved in her struggle to escape. And as for the 'space cowboy'! I find even the NAME twice as chilling as everything Randall Flagg ever did! This is one King book where the ending isn't over-long; Jessie's closing letter is grusomely effective--it gives the whole novel an even darker aspect. Critics go on and on about what a wonderful book "Rose Madder" is on the subject of 'gender wars'. "Rose" was a terrible book with a detestable cast. "Gerald's Game", on the other hand, says a lot more on the topic of the day, and is a better novel to boot.

Rating:
Summary: One of King's worst
Review: From the mind that gave us 'IT' and 'Pet Sematary' comes Gerald's Game. I'm sorry, but this was just awful. SK's gas tank of horror must have been on fumes around this time. It seems he switched from frightening nightmares to battered women. It started with Gerald's Game and continued with Delores Claybourne and Rose Madder.

This story was just dumb. Wolves in the kitchen is one thing, but slitting your wrists to use the blood as lubricant to escape handcuffs? Uh...no.

Rating:
Summary: Yes, "Gerald's Game" really is about what it is about
Review: I started reading Stephen King around the time he published "Fire-Starter" and had occasion to hear him read from his work on a visit to the University of Iowa. Working is way through a six-pack during the reading, King shared with us the short story version of "Pet Sematary" and the introduction to "It," which was still seven books down the road at that point. Between those readings, media reports, and books on King's work, I knew about pretty much everything he was working on for an extended period of time. I got to the point where I longed to be able to pick up a new King novel, toss the book jacket someplace where I would not be tempted to read anything printed upon it, and just start reading without any idea what the story was about. When that day finally game, it happened to be with this particular novel.

I know that I was not the only one who started reading "Gerald's Game" and was surprised to find out that it was really about what it appeared to be about. The Burlingames, Gerald and Jessie, own a summer house in Maine and one weekend in October they head up there for some rest and relaxation. The problem is that the relaxation has to do with Gerald handcuffing Jessie's arms to the bedposts. The game is about to go too far, and then it does, in a decidedly different direction that forces the reader to wonder what they would do in the deadly situation in which Jessie finds herself.

There was an idea when "Gerald's Game" game out that it was his own weird little version of "No Exit." I was reminded of one of King's short stories, "Survivor Type" (in "Skeleton Crew"), where a doctor ends up on a desert island with a bag of cocaine and a knife and starts lopping off body parts to survive. But that was just driving a weird little idea into the ground and "Gerald's Game" gets into the psychology of Jessie in a situation of extreme stress. However, there is a sense in which King does go too far in this novel, and that is with the Raymond Andrew Joubart subplot. I do not mean to suggest that King goes beyond the bounds of good taste with this subplot, but rather that it is unnecessary. This is often a concern that I have with many of King's novels during this period, where his imaginative is such that he often throws too much into the mix and has occasion for us to be thinking less is more.

Of his "mainstream" novels (which would exclude the Dark Tower volumes, his collaboration with Peter Straub, and the fantasy tale "Eyes of the Dragon"), you will find that "Gerald's Game" was the first not to be adapted to the screen. I mention this only because I was rather surprised nobody could come up with a creative way of solving the novel's cinematic problems, although for all I know it could have been that King did not sell the rights to this one. I would not know because I have been out of the loop on everything King has been up to in recent year.