Hi all! Happy New Year!
Welcome back to the bookclub! In December we read Pet Sematary by Stephen King for The You’ll Read Too Bookclub! If you wish to access all of the latest updates/information, click here. Spoilers ahead!
Quick Reminder: This month we are reading ‘The Exorcist’s House’ by Nick Roberts!
Today I’m going to discuss the book in the same way I normally do my Instagram videos. You can find the recorded talk on my bookclub Instagram page. I’ll give a quick plot summary plus my overall star/scare-factor ratings. Then I will share the discussion topics and trivia questions. Please include all of your answers and opinions down below. I want to know exactly what you thought. I’ll also leave the answers to the trivia questions at the very bottom of the post, so if you wish to guess without being spoiled, do not scroll to the end until you’re ready. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
PET SEMATARY BY STEPHEN KING – DECEMBER 2022
PLOT SUMMARY
When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son and now an idyllic home. As a family, they’ve got it all. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth-more terrifying than death itself and hideously more powerful. The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better.
OVERALL STAR RATING
I obviously rated this book 5/5 stars. It is one of Stephen King’s best works. It’s haunting, chilling and terribly sad. If you’re a parent, like myself, this is going to hit harder. It’s a horror classic and a must for your shelves.
OVERALL SCARE-FACTOR RATING
I gave this story a scare-factor rating of 5/5 stars. It was definitely one of his scariest novels. There are so many different layers of fear. We are presented with the unknown, confronting discussions about death and an uncontrollable force that feeds on the living. It left a mark on me.
DISCUSSION TOPICS
1.) Do you believe Micmac contributed to Ellie’s prophetic dreams or was she already that way inclined?
I believe Micmac definitely heightened an existing gift that Ellie already possessed. It knew Louis wouldn’t listen to her cries and interfere with his plans to revive Gage.
2.) Is dead better?
I think as painful as it is, it is better. To try and revive the dead is to play with a force much bigger than us all. When it’s our time, it’s our time.
3.) What is the best way to speak to children about death?
I think honesty is the best policy. It’s important to use sensitive wording but not shield kids from the truth. Louis argues that death is a natural thing and he’s correct. It’s far better to remain transparent than to make dying seem like this big, bad thing. We need to prepare our children.
TRIVIA QUESTIONS
Easy: Who is Church named after?
Medium: What is the name of the truck that killed Gage?
Hard: What does Louis believe he saw in the forest?
I hope you enjoyed the book club discussion in this post and on Instagram. As mentioned above, share all of your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any feedback/suggestions to improve the bookclub, please let me know. I look forward to talking to you all next month! Thanks for reading!
Peace & Love xoxo
TRIVIA ANSWERS: Easy: Winston Churchill. Medium: Orinco. Hard: The Wendigo.
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