Gerald’s Game by Stephen King
Introduction
In Gerald’s Game by Stephen King, Jessie has a problem. Her husband, Gerald, likes to play games, the ones that end up with her handcuffed to the bedpost. What happens when they are at their isolated lake house, Gerald cuffs Jessie to the bed, and Gerald becomes incapacitated? Will Jessie escape before she goes crazy, or will she die of dehydration?
Summary
Jessie and Gerald play sexual games involving Jessie being restrained. She doesn’t always like his games, but Gerald has reasons he likes them, and Jessie has reasons that she complies. They go to their isolated lake house in the off-season for a special getaway. Gerald handcuffs her to the bed and gets ready for a session. Jessie is not feeling it and wants him to let her go. He pretends her protests are part of the games. Gerald is incapacitated, and it might have been partially Jessie’s fault. She is trapped.
As time passes, she hears the voices of her split personality and those of other people she has known in her life. She also has flashbacks with her father when they witnessed an eclipse when she was young. It was a pivotal point in her life. Then she sees or imagines a man staring at her in the corner.
An abandoned dog provides an alternate point of view. It is a companion and adversary for Jessie.
Recommendation
Gerald’s Game by Stephen King is an intense psychological thriller. Jessie is stressed to the point of finally facing the psychological trauma she experienced as a child. Her escape attempts were described well. I also watched the Netflix movie based on the book. I thought the filmmaker made interesting choices in portraying Jessie’s inner voices and utilizing the dog. Carla Gugino playing Jessie was fabulous. Something about the ending in the book and the movie felt tacked on to me. Was this a thriller, horror, or something else?
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Gerald’s Game by Stephen King.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28006521-gerald-s-game
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