Duma Key by Stephen King review / M

*Music  - I usually have headphones plugged into something as I write, this time it’s :  PACIFIC RIM Soundtrack

This is from Ramin Djawadi, the same guy who wrote the entire epic Game of Thrones Soundtrack collection so far along with Iron Man and bunch of other sick stuff, I’m definitely keeping my eyes out on his work, soundtracks have always been my favorite so it’s back to the good old stuff and this album is really wonderful; very rich, moving and creative.

 

I can hardly believe that I read Duma Key over three years ago, a time when I lived in a totally different neighborhood, my first real step away from my parents with a young man I loved. It’s funny to see your life in these ribbons of time, when a book can be a bookmark to your life instead; it certainly made me remember mine but the good news is that a decade into knowing each other we’re happily together but this time in Queens, Kew Gardens instead of Manhattan ( I strangely like it as it feels like a quaint village here) but I can still recall the Manhattan home after work bus ride uptown when I was reading page 30 or something, and I had to look up from the text, look around me and recognize that moment, it was so profound within the book that I felt jarred into this column of being something solid, something tangible in time and space,  something that I can close my eyes and recall as if I was back then and there, an actual point of recognition binding more two planes together, phew sorry, metadata lol…I knew that I had to remember how important this was, I still remember, I even emailed my best friend Mark about it from my phone as I passed the Hudson river way uptown, he’s such a great reading buddy, we read it together!

King might sound intimidating to some, I certainly felt that but way AFTER I knew who he really was, I used to read him in my math and chemistry classes under my desk when I read through an entire Cujo and Pet Semetery that way, I still don’t knew how I got away with it in 10^th grade, I’m 32 now so I guess I’m safe :P ramblings aside, if King is new to you or not something you go for then try it. This isn’t horror in an easy way to describe, it’s subliminal but also very fantastic, like a new flavor of ice cream, you just have to experience this for yourself to see what this beauty of a story is really. This book works because its both very realistic and gorgeous with its location, scenery and atmosphere but it also has that sort of “is it supernatural or what?” element creeping up and it’s up to you to keep reading to find out what it is! I loved it, absolutely loved it.

Here is my review, written three years ago, hopeful it’s still semi fresh :P even though I think I like the book more than I did back then when I was flipping over it.

DUMA KEY

by Stephen King

  Brilliant and powerful with the perfect amount of creepy and freaky

  Ahh... what can I say about Duma Key, other than it being an extraordinary experience, a literary breath of fresh air, a masterpiece of color and texture without any actual paint being used. I guess there are some people out there who think it's boring or long and not horror (what? you won’t mind if this happens to you?) but I instantaneously felt a bond with the book and I can say that I absolutely loved it! The writing itself was so colorful and interesting that I enjoyed each and every page, there was in no rush to get to the ending by any means, but I did like the end, it matched the enigmatic feel of the story and it had a lush, tropical feel to it but it was tainted by something dark and eerie and quite frankly very creepy because it was deadly and corroded with rot. This was an artsy book which took the art rush to a new level, the characters affected by the story could have never imagined their demise and whether they believed in it or not, it was coming. I was attracted to this book right away, partially because of the cover; it always begged to be read and as an artist it touched my sensors in ways that kept me thinking of it often so I finally had to sit down and read it and also because one of my best friends started reading it and I had to follow suit so we could enjoy and discuss it together, it was a real treat to read it at the same time and marvel at the unfolding story.

Edgar Freemantle is a handicapped man who moves to a mythical island of Duma Key, a place that doesn't exist in reality but seems more real than half the vacation spots I've been in. He rents an eccentric Salvador Dali style salmon colored house in the outskirts close to the water and starts painting with his remaining arm, paintings that change his life - at first for the better but later he realizes that his new found gift is very hungry, and it hungers for things most precious to him. His recovery seems to progress until he starts feeling his missing arm while at the same time strange storms are coming to the island and things that shouldn't be real are happening, Edgar knows that his paintings have more power and meaning than he could have ever imagined and it's up to him to solve the mystery that has enshrouded Duma Key for generations and left many skeletons during it's reign. The story jumps off the cliff with an appearance of a ship on the horizon, Edgar knows that it’s not good news, something strange and deadly is on that ship and the closer it gets to him during the stronger the storms around him and his loved ones grow. Even stranger is the sudden deep hold on his sudden artistic talents and the results are quite shocking, but hey they make for great reading. After reading it I can safely say that it's one of my favorite books ever, I even got the hard cover version so I could have the full dust jacket with it's glorious art to see while I read the paperback and carried it with me everywhere. This might not be for everyone, but that's totally fine with me, I loved it and it made an impact on me.

This story is like an exotic fruit bowl, gorgeous from every angle and full of mouth watering rainbow of flavors. The characters in this tale are extremely realistic, from the kooky and zany to the mysterious and deadly, each plays a part that paints such a grand picture that the more I think about it the more I feel the need to read it again, just to dip back into that pool of "AAAhhhhhh.." it creates.. It's really hard to explain but this book was marvelous and it made a bond with my imagination, one that will stay with me for a long time. There is plenty of original mystery and horror and love and growth combined with struggles and some deaths, it all paints a picture worth thousands of words, one that I could stare at forever.

- Kasia S.