by: Stephen King
Genre: Horror, Drama,
Supernatural
Four years after the sudden death of his beloved wife, Jo,
suspense novelist Michael Noonan returns to their summer home on Dark Score
Lake. Upon arriving in the small Maine town, Mike finds he may not be alone in
the lakeside retreat known as Sara Laughs. He hears phantom crying in the
night, receives messages on his refrigerator, and has ghostly encounters in his
dreams. After a chance encounter with young, twenty-one-year-old Mattie Devore
and her three-year-old daughter, Kyra, Mike finds himself dragged into the
middle of a custody battle, both by Mattie's ill-intentioned father-in-law and
the spirits of Sara Laughs. What secrets does Dark Score Lake hold and why do
the spirits want him to help Mattie?
I enjoyed this novel. While it has horror aspects in
relation to the hauntings and the evil within some human beings, the story
focuses more on the character development and relationships. For the first two
thirds of the novel, the main focus is Mike's battle with writer's block, his
grief over the loss of his wife, and the custody battle between Mattie and Max
Devore. The more involved Mike becomes, the more he begins to fall for Mattie
and seems to step easily into the father figure role when spending time with
Kyra. The ghostly happenings serve as a connection between them, and it isn't
until tragedy strikes that the horror really begins.
The characters are well-rounded and fleshed out, they have
histories and unique characteristics. The good guys are relatable and likeable,
while the villains are truly twisted and evil. Mike serves as a great narrator,
he's relatable, intelligent and witty, with a softer side he's not afraid to
show. He decides to help Mattie when the rest of the town has turned against
her. He's so good with Kyra, and despite the age gap, the reader ends up
wanting him and Mattie to end up together. Mattie Devore seems like a fun and loving
mother, who is doing everything she can to raise a toddler on her own. She
doesn't trust easily and does not like to accept charity from anyone. She is
clearly being persecuted by Max for no good reason and it's hard not to love
her or her adorable daughter Kyra. These three are the center focus of the
story, and while the rest of the characters were well-written, these three are
the ones that stand out.
A key theme in this novel is the enduring bonds of love;
bonds that last long after death. This theme keeps Jo alive, despite her death
in chapter 1, and enables her to protect Mike as he comes closer to revealing
the dark secrets of TR-90. However, hate and rage can also create bonds that
endure through death and generations, and this powerfully negative energy is
exactly what Jo is determined to protect Mike from.
At first the only negative energy Mike has to deal with is
in human form as Max Devore harasses and even assaults him when he gets in the
way of Max getting custody of Kyra. The scene where Max and Rogette, two
seemingly unlikely assailants have Mike trapped out in the lake, attempting to
drown him, is one that had me clinging to my book, unable to put it down until
I knew he was safe. This scene is the turning point for the novel, and the
suspense continues until the final act. As the human behavior becomes more
violent, the paranormal activity inside Sara Laughs intensifies, and as the
novel reaches its climax, the reader follows
Mike as he puts together the connection between the haunting of Sara
Laughs and the happenings in the lives of Mattie and Kyra Devore.
I really did enjoy this novel and loved the combination of
ghost story and the fairly accurate portrayal of a custody battle. I felt for
the characters and fell in love with them, especially Mattie, Mike, Jo and
Kyra. However, it did lag a little in the middle of the novel before picking up speed
again, so that may deter a few readers. Curious to see how it ended, however, I
plugged through and ended up with a fairly satisfying ending. My only other
complaint is that we don't find out what happened to Romeo Bissonette and
George Kennedy after they both incur wounds in a shoot out. As their wounds
didn't appear fatal, the reader can assume they made it out okay, but it still
would be nice to know for sure.
Overall, despite a couple minor draw backs, this is a
decent, entertaining read, delving more into human relationships than the
horror aspects of the haunting of Sara Laughs. If you're looking for a lot of
scares, this novel may not be for you. However, if you enjoy lots of suspense
and character development, and don't mind that the ghostly activity takes a
backseat to human interaction, you may enjoy this book as much as I did. This
book is as much about the evil that lies in the hearts of humanity as it is
about the dangers of the paranormal world.
6.5/10
