Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Stephen King’s most gripping and unforgettable novel, Bag of Bones, is a story of grief and a lost love’s enduring bonds, of a new love haunted by the secrets of the past, of an innocent child caught in a terrible crossfire.

Set in the Maine territory King has made mythic, Bag of Bones recounts the plight of 40-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan, who is unable to stop grieving even four years after the sudden death of his wife, Jo, and who can no longer bear to face the blank screen of his word processor.

Now his nights are plagued by vivid nightmares of the house by the lake. Despite these dreams, or perhaps because of them, Mike finally returns to Sara Laughs, the Noonans’ isolated summer home.

He finds his beloved Yankee town familiar on its surface, but much changed underneath — held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, who twists the very fabric of the community to his purpose: to take his three-year-old granddaughter away from her widowed young mother. As Mike is drawn into their struggle, as he falls in love with both of them, he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations, ever-escalating nightmares, and the sudden recovery of his writing ability. What are the forces that have been unleashed here — and what do they want of Mike Noonan?

As vivid and enthralling as King’s most enduring works, Bag of Bones resonates with what Amy Tan calls ‘the witty and obsessive voice of King’s powerful imagination.’ It’s no secret that King is our most mesmerizing storyteller. In Bag of Bones — described by Gloria Naylor as ‘a love story about the dark places within us all’ — he proves to be one of our most moving.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge

The Reason

For my Stephen King challenge. This one is a reread.

The Quotes

“I felt lonely and content at the same time. I believe that is a rare kind of happiness.”

“I see things, that’s all. Write enough stories and every shadow on the floor looks like a footprint; every line in the dirt like a secret message.”

“Grief is like a drunken house guest, always coming back for one more goodbye hug.”

“Readers have a loyalty that cannot be matched anywhere else in the creative arts, which explains why so many writers who have run out of gas can keep coasting anyway, propelled on to the bestseller lists by the magic words AUTHOR OF on the covers of their books.”

The Narrator(s)

Stephen King, the author himself. What a treat!

My Thoughts

I read this book a while ago and rated it four stars but it didn’t stand out to me at the time. As I was rereading it, I remember parts of it and why I enjoyed it the first time. My favorite part about Stephen King’s books is the way he approaches the supernatural and talks about it like it’s not something fictional or unbelievable, but just a part of the many mysteries of our world.

One of my favorite characters that we never even really meet is Jo, the MC’s late wife. She dies in the beginning of the book and we only get to know her through Mike Noonan’s memories and ghostly encounters, but she comes across so strong and passionate. I also really like Kyra. The almost-romance in the story is a bit of a turn-off for me but I understand this was written a while ago (still!).

It’s kind of why I included the quote, “Readers have a loyalty that cannot be matched anywhere else in the creative arts, which explains why so many writers who have run out of gas can keep coasting anyway, propelled on to the bestseller lists by the magic words AUTHOR OF on the covers of their books.”

I actually became a fan of the author through his more recent books (so it’s the inverse of the above quote but the sentiment applies) and am now reading his backlist for the sake of The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge. His older books are still good but there are definitely questionable themes in them. I like that he’s self aware enough to call himself out on some of those things now that he’s older though!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?