Duma Key by Stephen King

From Goodreads: Six months after a crane crushes his pickup truck and his body self-made millionaire Edgar Freemantle launches into a new life. His wife asked for a divorce after he stabbed her with a plastic knife and tried to strangle her one-handed (he lost his arm and for a time his rational brain in the accident). He divides his wealth into four equal parts for his wife, his two daughters, himself and leaves Minnesota for Duma Key, a stunningly beautiful, eerily remote stretch of the Florida coast where he has rented a house. All of the land on Duma Key, and the few houses, are owned by Elizabeth Eastlake, an octogenarian whose tragic and mysterious past unfolds perilously. When Edgar begins to paint, his formidable talent seems to come from someplace outside him, and the paintings, many of them, have a power that cannot be controlled.

I think I read Carrie in high school, I know I saw the movie. And I think I read Christine too. That's the total of my Stephen King experience prior to Duma Key so my expectations came more from my own imagination than from any actual experience - I was expecting violence, shock and harsh fear. I didn't get that; I got characters that I actually cared about and day to day lives with friendships and banter and ease and families with the resulting relationship issues. But all of those good things were floating along on this undercurrent of dread - that's the Stephen King part, knowing there is something coming. I liked what I got much more than what I had expected to get! 23 hours on audio and I was still kind of sad for it to end.

The audiobook challenge is hosted by Teresa at Teresa's Reading Corner, click on the logo to see my progress.


I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!