Cujo

Great writing and great story, but I prefer King's spirituality more than his gore...and he wasn't quite there yet with this novel.

2.8/5

I think the monster in the closet was scary as hell, but I'm not a big fan of animals being the villain in horror.

Cujo was so great, and a good change after (re)reading so many contemporary novels. It had that creepy edge that I was looking for. I liked that there were no chapters at all, and the third person was ever changing from each character, so you got to delve into each of their minds. Even in Cujo’s! You get to see how his perception of the world changes before and after he gets sick, and how his thoughts becomes very streamline near the end. Like the mother’s, Donna’s, when she’s looking to save herself and her son, Tad. It really shows how far a mother’s love goes. Like, we all know how much a mother loves her child(ren), but Donna’s vehemence to get Tad out of the car is that feeling on steroids. Especially in the end, at THAT scene. I will not specify for those looking for spoilers. Shame on you for cheating.

Cujo does hold a creepy, I-need-to-set-this-down-or-I-might-get-sick aspect, especially when one casualty is desperately trying to hold his guts in. But in a very juxtaposing manner, it also has some tear-jerking lines. It really is a horror novel without being that scary. You may be skeptical to sleep near your closet for a few days, but it isn’t that bad. It holds the right balance of scaring to that irking feeling. And it’s a nice quick read. Doesn’t take long to power through this book, which is great for those who just need a small book to squeeze in between others. It immediately grabs you from the “Once Upon a Time” intro, because that is a fairy-tale-happy-ending beginner, and as everyone knows, this is no fairy tale.

King writes with a blunt honesty, that shows how much he understands the world and humans. He carefully weaves together his words and the story, and each word draws you in more and more. When Donna begins to run through all the coincidences while sitting in the Pinot, you can see just how much King thought about all the little details. Amazing. And the contradictions he makes re great. Read the two lines I’m referencing. The former is written early one, before much happens, while the latter occurs much later, after everything major.

“There are no monsters. Only in stories, and in your mind.”

The world was full of monsters, and they were all allowed to bite the innocent and the unwary.

A lot of the book centers on monsters, either psycho murderers or killer dogs, and there’s a little “poem” called The Monster Words. King plays around with that idea of what a monster is. Each person has a different perception as such, and that is a big theme to think about while reading Cujo. What makes a monster? Something real, or something imaginary? It was thought provoking as well as riveting.

If you’re looking for a good semi-horror novel, pick this up. If you’re deciding which King work to try out first, I would recommend Cujo, because it gives a quick peek at his writing style and the king of themes he includes. Swearing. Sex. Death. It prepares you for his other works. And for life.

Thanks for acting like you’re paying attention.

All quotes pulled from the novel, and included bonus content.

3.5

Being trapped and attacked by a rabid animal would definitely be a frightening experience, but the chords of sadness in this book struck even harder than the scary parts. Ultimately, Cujo was a good boy brought down by something entirely preventable. The human characters felt real, albeit kind of uninteresting as far as people go. Not boring, per se, just not the stars of the story.

I also realize there is the implication of the supernatural explanation, which I won't detail here because of spoilers, but I don't really give that interpretation much credence, personally.