To the public eye, the spouses of well-known writers are all but invisible, and no one knew it better than Lisey Landon. That is until the maddeningly humid, maddeningly muggy day her husband Scott, a celebrated, award-winning novelist, inaugurated the site of a new library. The day that started with a broken toothglass....
Years later, Lisey is ruminating on their marriage of profound, sometimes frightening intimacy. Lisey has always known there was a powerful place where her husband ventured to face his demons. Now it's Lisey's turn. And what begins as a widow's effort to sort through her husband's effects becomes a perilous journey into the heart of darkness.
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Romance
Year: 2006
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Rating: 3/5
I started a new job about a month ago now, that requires train travel. I am not a big fan of public transport (anyone who commutes in Sydney will understand!) so I use the time to read. Partly, because the train is one of the few times I actually have to read, and secondly, so the trip will seem quicker.
A few weeks ago I was lugging around Lisey's Story. A book so big and heavy that my shoulders were killing me and my bag strap actually broke! Was it worth it? hhmmm I am unsure.
This novel follows the story of the widow, Lisey Landon, as she undertakes the task of sorting through her husbands study, two years after his death. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Think again. This is a Stephen King story. Nothing is ever straight forward!
This novel jumps all over the place. One minute we are in the present, as Lisey tries to come to terms with her husbands death and deal with the problems of her mentally unstable older sister. We then go back to the past, where Lisey remembers how she met Scott, and some of the experiences they had together. She also remembers the dark secrets Scott shared with her about his childhood, spent with his abusive and insane father... and his mysterious brother, Paul.
Despite the constant changes in time and place, this novel is easy enough to follow. It deals with loss, the bonds of marriage, the sadness of mental illness, the coping mechanisms of children when faced with traumatic situations and how what happens to us when we are young can shape our whole lives.
This was an interesting novel, yet I struggled with it. Sure, I am distracted with my new job (so much to learn!) but I also had trouble with the language King used in this novel. Lisey spent a lot of time thinking in Scott-speak, a language he devised as a child. This just irritated me.
Despite that, I am glad I read this novel. I do wish to make my way through all of King's works, and this one was certainly different from the others I have read.
I'd say this one if for King fans only. If you are new to his work I would avoid this one.
Want to grab a copy of this book? Try Book Depository or Amazon!
