DUMA KEY by Stephen King
Stephen King takes his tales from New England and moves them down to Florida. Yes, the master of horror is moving his stories from the arctic blasts to the tropical heat, but is keeping the chill and thrill factors intact. DUMA KEY is a novel that takes place under the tropical sun but it still has all of King's scare tactics.
The story begins in Minnesota where Edgar Freemantle has a booming business. He also has a wife and two daughters. One day there is an accident at his worksite and he is crushed in a truck by a piece of falling machinery. He suffers extensive injuries and even loses his right arm. His healing process is long and slow and during this time his wife divorces him. He ends up selling the business and heading down to Florida for a vacation and fresh start.
He rents a house on Duma Key and there begins to paint. He is almost compelled to paint by some inner voice that urges him on. He turns out canvas after canvas. On the Key he also makes the acquaintance of a man named Wireman, a lawyer who takes care of a ninety something year old woman named Elizabeth.
Edgar gets drawn into their world and they into his. During this time he also discovers his paintings have prophetic powers. If he paints an actual scene it tends to happen. Yes there is something weird happening on Duma Key.
The first third of the book is rather believable. There are a few fanciful things occurring but nothing too amazing. There is a sense of danger brewing but it has not reached fruition, but you do get the feeling bad things are going to follow.
The second half is when the story begins to come together - the real meets the unreal, and the horrific meets the placid. King is a master of pacing and each page forward increases the malevolence factor. In this middle section we begin to learn of the squishy creatures who are made up of seawater.
In the final third of the book King pulls out all the stops. It is crazy time and another good versus evil scenario that he so loves. It is amazing reading and pure King from start to finish. If you have never read a massive King story you might be a little overwhelmed but for King-philes this is the right stuff.
The book is engrossing for the most part. Only in the middle does it get a bit bogged down. Still in DUMA KEY King creates some of his most vivid characters and some of his most endearing ones. You fear for them because you like them.
King's last few novels have not attracted my attention, but there was something about DUMA KEY that did. And from the first page on I was happy to be back in King-land. I think you will be too.
Stephen King's storytelling skills have not diminished. DUMA KEY is one of his best in a long time.
DUMA KEY is published by Scribner. It contains 611 pages and sells for $28.00.