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‘Salem’s Lot (1975)


I recently purchased ‘Salem’s Lot and I’m excited to start this journey. Due to the Coronavirus, I have two weeks off of work so I will have plenty of time to get some reading done. I don’t know anything about this story. I do know that it is a recurring town in Stephen King books, much like Derry. When I read The Institute, there was a mention of Jerusalem’s Lot which I believe is what ‘Salem’s Lot is short for....I might be sounding really stupid right now-but I hope I’m right! I’ll come back here to add my thoughts once I’m done reading. Please stay safe out there and wash your hands!


So....this has been a weird year, but I don't need to tell you that. So yes, I purchased 'Salem's Lot on March 12th and finished it exactly 8 months later in November. I blame 2020. But what is important here is that I finally finished it! First things first, I was right about it being Jerusalem's Lot so I saved myself some embarrassment.

This book is about vampires. Did you know that? Cause I sure didn't. I also would not have known it was about vampires until probably over halfway through the book if I hadn't read the foreword. That is because this book feels like its two books. The first just being about some people who live in a town. The second being that that town is now overtaken by vampires. I honestly was not upset that the first part of the book is just about some people living their lives with little to no action and no explanation about what the heck was going on. I've said it before and I'll say it a thousand times, Stephen King is such an amazing character writer. Every character's story draws you in to the point that you're perfectly content reading a Stephen King book about some people just...being people. The story definitely got better when the vampires were finally introduced, don't get me wrong. 

I saw a lot of similarities between this book and some of his more recent ones like The Institute and The Outsider. Some of the characters and plot points were very similar, as well as the way the books are laid out. I've noticed a trend in some of these books where he introduces characters and a plot point right at the beginning and then it completely changes to something else. You spend the entire book trying to figure out how they all piece together and then at the very end it circles back and you go....oh! And I totally love that. I also love seeing how his work has both evolved, from reading his first few books and his most recent ones....but also how his style stays consistent and you know who you're reading. 

I really enjoyed this book! It was never on my radar and I probably would never have read it had I not decided to do this. I definitely recommend it. Mr. King, himself, lists it as one of his favorites (though he does admit some problems with it) and feels as though it was more of his personal style than Carrie was. If you're a fan of the Hulu show Castle Rock (which I am and I recommend watching) you would have seen a ton of references to this book in the second season and might have fun reading this after watching that. I'm so excited to have read this book and finished it finally! I hope the physical book is pretty big...I read it online so don't tell me if the book is super small cause it took me forever to read it hahah. 
Next up is none other than... The Shining! I'm gonna get started on that one now while you go read 'Salem's Lot :) 


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