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Duma Key (2008)



Before reading: Oh Duma Key...I have heard so much about this one and literally have no idea what it is about. I am going in mostly blind. I know many people rave about this one and enjoy it. I know (think?) that it is set in Florida. That's about it soooo, let's find out :)

After reading: Alright, I get why people like this one. It was very very good. So far the 2000's King's era hasn't been the strongest but I think this may be a turning point. This was a long book and took me way too long to read it, but it was worth the time. I would describe it as being a mix of Bag of Bones and Black House. It was a great mash-up of horror, surrealism, drama, and heart. It felt like King but also felt different than anything else he has written. This book was very much a stand-alone which are few and far between when it comes to King. 

This is a very supernatural book that feels weirdly grounded. It didn't seem to creep into the fantasy realm and wasn't straight up horror, either. It was heavy on the sentimental elements and kept supernatural elements throughout. The characters were likable, the imagery was gorgeous, and the horrors were horrific. At the end of the day this is just a very solid, very good book. I could very easily see this being someone's favorite book. I've reached a point in my King journey where infiltrating my top ten list will probably be next to impossible. This one is close. I think if someone related more to some of the elements in this book, it would be an immediate favorite. I really didn't relate to anyone or anything in this book, I was able to just enjoy it as a bystander. For those reasons it is not one of my top King books but for those reasons it may be one of yours. 

This is so well written. King always has a way of creating wonderfully in-depth characters who are at the forefront of his books. In addition, this book has just beautiful imagery. It is both vibrant and dark. This is a great book.

Next up is a little break from long novels with a short story collection, Just After Sunset. 

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