Hi all! Happy New Year!

 Welcome back to the bookclub! In December we read Pet Sematary by Stephen King for The You’ll Read Too Bookclub! Spoilers ahead!

Quick Reminder: This month we are reading ‘The Exorcist’s House’ by Nick Roberts! 

Today I’m going to give a quick plot summary, plus my overall star/scare-factor ratings. Then I will share the discussion topics and trivia questions. Please include all of your answers and opinions down below. I want to know exactly what you thought. I’ll also leave the answers to the trivia questions at the very bottom of the post, so if you wish to guess without being spoiled, do not scroll to the end until you’re ready. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

PET SEMATARY BY STEPHEN KING – DECEMBER 2022

PLOT SUMMARY

When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son and an idyllic home. As a family, they’ve got it all. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth – more terrifying than death itself and hideously more powerful. The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better.

OVERALL STAR RATING

I obviously rated this book 5/5 stars. It is one of Stephen King’s best works. It’s haunting, chilling and terribly sad. If you’re a parent, like myself, it’s going to hit harder. It’s a horror classic and a must for your shelves.

OVERALL SCARE-FACTOR RATING

I gave it a scare-factor rating of 5/5 stars. It’s definitely one of his scariest novels. There are so many different layers of fear. We are presented with the unknown, confronting discussions about death and an uncontrollable force that feeds on the living. It left a mark on me.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1.) Do you believe Micmac contributed to Ellie’s prophetic dreams, or was she already that way inclined?

I believe Micmac definitely heightened her existing gift. It knew Louis wouldn’t listen to her cries, as well as interfere with his plans to revive Gage.

2.) Is dead better?

As painful as it is, it is better. Trying to revive the dead is playing with a force bigger than us all. When it’s our time, it’s our time.

3.) What is the best way to speak to children about death?

I think honesty is the best policy. It’s important to use sensitive wording, yet not shield kids from the truth. Louis argues death is a natural thing and he’s correct. It’s far better to remain transparent, than to make dying seem like this big, bad thing. We need to prepare our children.

TRIVIA QUESTIONS

Easy: Who is Church named after?

Medium: What is the name of the truck that killed Gage?

Hard: What does Louis believe he saw in the forest? 

I hope you enjoyed the book club discussion. As mentioned above, share all of your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any feedback/suggestions to improve the bookclub, please let me know. I look forward to talking to you all next month! Thanks for reading!

Peace & Love xoxo

TRIVIA ANSWERS: Easy: Winston Churchill. Medium: Orinco. Hard: The Wendigo.