Gerald’s Game by Stephen King – Book Review

During a sexual game that goes wrong, Jessie kicks her husband Gerald inducing a fatal coronary. Finding herself handcuffed to the bed in a lakeside cabin with no means of escape, Jessie is forced to face up to her desperate situation. Soon she begins to hear voices inside her head

Dark Reads Review

Classic Stephen King, intense Psychological Horror.

I really enjoyed this book, it scores pretty high on the believable scale too which is great!  

The story follows Jessie, after what starts out as a fairly innocent sex game with her husband, Gerald, goes terribly wrong and she ends up alone, handcuffed to the bed with no way out.

I love the way this book delves into the human Psyche and the struggle to stay sane when left alone with thoughts, suppressed memories and realization.  For Jessie the voices in her head come to the forefront, each one representing different aspects of her personality and urging her to remember a long suppressed childhood memory and to find a way out of the situation she has found herself in.

Truly a story that could only have come from the mind of Stephen King. His storytelling is fantastic. He perfectly captures the human condition and the primal instinct to survive. The human body can endure a lot, but the mind is not always as hardy. Although Jessie is in an unimaginable position I felt like I was right there, completely immersed in the story,  a feeling I almost always get with a SK book!

Gerald’s Game is certainly a disturbing read on many levels, recollection of childhood abuse and a particularly graphic gory scene (those who have read it will know the one I mean) that made me look away from the page on a couple of occasions! This one stayed with me for quite a while after finishing the book.

If you like Stephen King and a truly disturbing Psychological Horror this is definitely one for you!

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• ISBN-10: 0340574933
• ISBN-13: 978-0340574935
• Published:16th July 1992

Order a copy here

About the Author

Now, I’m Pretty sure that this one doesn’t need much introduction!

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy.

His books have sold more than 350 million copies, many have been adapted into movies, miniseries, television series, and comic books.

King has published over 58 novels (including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman) and six non-fiction books.

He has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.

You can find out more on his official website and follow him on Twitter