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In this recurring piece I'll be going book by book through the King's archive where I'll be providing mid new insights and analysis while ranking them in a totally objective manner.
The next title we're tackling is Bag of Bones.
Book Title: Bag of Bones
Year of Release: 1998
Chronological Position in King's Work: 41st
Pages: 734
The synopsis from the back of the book:
Four years after the sudden death of his wife, bestselling novelist Mike Noonan is still grieving. Unable to write and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summer-house he calls "Sara Laughs", Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway. There, he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the group of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, whose vindictive purpose is to take his three-year-old granddaughter, Kyra, away from her widowed young mother, Mattie. As Mike is drawn into Mattie's and Kyra's struggle - and as he falls in love with both of them - he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs...now the site of ghostly visitations and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here - and just what do they want of Mike Noonan?
The simplicity of this books title spoke to me as I wandered through Barnes & Noble caressing the spines of books with my hands as I walked the aisles. I was coincidentally warned for the last time to stop fondling the books and now I have to drive another 20 minutes all the way to Blue Bell's B&N to get my fix.
As an aspiring and most would say failed writer, the synopsis of Bag of Bones caught my eye as our protagonist, Mike Noonan, is dealing with severe writers block. Granted his is from the grief of his wife passing and not lack of talent.
What I really wanted was to dive into one of King's books that felt more like a mystery and I was glad this one fit the bill. While Mike's uncertainty of his future is at the forefront of his mind he is eventually derailed by the troubles of some well meaning townsfolk and ultimately, something much more vicious that is only too happy to welcome him in.
Bag of Bones begins with the death of the wife of our protagonist Mike Noonan. Now as it's in the synopsis it's not exactly a surprise but I suppose the manner in which it occurs is with its banality for such an author as King.
Johanna (Jo) Arlen Noonan was leaving a drug store and running across an empty parking lot in their small town of Derry towards the sound of an accident on the street. Before she could make it and check on everyone she collapsed to the ground, dead. Only 34 years old her passing is a total and utter shock to Mike.
Once her family comes to town for the funeral we get some of the great ancillary character work that I've come to love and admire from King. I think of his two greatest talents, the first being giving a physical location an emotional quality (usually of tense dread), the second spotlighted right away here is the ability to make small characters seem vivid and real.
After his wife is laid to rest Mike struggles to put pen to paper for over four years. In fact he is somewhat physically incapable of doing so. The mere act of writing any new material leaves him ill and disoriented. He had some shelved books ready to publish that he didn't necessarily want to. Thus for a while he can send those in to his publisher and continue to hide his mental state from those close to him. For the moment at least.
Shortly thereafter we are introduced to a new character. This character is the house he shared with his wife they called 'Sara Laughs' on Dark Score Lake in western Maine. He had not been back since before his wife's death and with his material to publish having run dry Mike finds himself pulled there.
It becomes clear that something is haunting the house. Mike can hear whispers speaking to him and he has a general sense of unease and foreboding upon his return. That all must wait however.
He manages to push most of this mystery aside once he meets a young widow, Mattie Devore, and her daughter Kyra. This tale is not too unfamiliar. A woman who had a nice husband that was nothing like his controlling, rich, and most importantly, hateful father. With his sons death, Max Devore plagues Mattie in an attempt to wrest control of his granddaughter from her and to leave her with nothing.
On it's surface this narrative wouldn't engage the reader any more than another. King of course uses the 'A Story' as a the first layer of an onion centered around Mike Noonan. As the book progresses Mike's trauma over his wife's passing and the spirits haunting him come into focus bit by bit.
As each layer is peeled back the reader is exposed, albeit slowly at first, to generational trauma that has seemingly seeped into the very grounds of the town surrounding Dark Score Lake. Memories of murder, rape, and unrelenting vengeance of the wronged come to a head in a thoroughly well written 3rd act. The culmination caught me off guard which is intensely gratifying as a reader.
Bag of Bones ends up being my second favorite of King's work when all is said and done. I enjoy stories where the character has an internal struggle that they don't need to 'just' overcome per se, but actually have to set it aside for the benefit of others.
Mike Noonan is a strong example of that. He sets his needs aside to help a woman and, more importantly, her young daughter Kyra that he has come to care for. Through doing that he is able to reconcile with his own struggle and the passing of his wife. It's probably not a surprise that I'm drawn to these characters since I've become a father.
Of course it's the weaving in of the supernatural entities that make this such a classic King story (when isn't that the case?). The super natural element unfolded organically and when it finally and clearly snaps into vision it makes the reader uncomfortable with its purpose and just why these horrors are transpiring. Both our protagonist and the town itself must reconcile with the past in order to live.
I found in the end there was a clear message here I felt was earnest and welcome. Although this book was published in 1998 themes surrounding trauma, specifically generational trauma are just as relevant today. If you can't look yourself in the eye and question what's wrong and unjust around you, you'll be swallowed up and doomed by it like all the rest.
Rating: 4.06/5 King's
Kirk's Rankings:
Christine (4.17/5)
Bag of Bones (4.06/5)
Cell (3.82/5)
Salem's Lot (3.70/5)
The Institute (3.00/5)
Billy Summers (1.33/5)
If you have any comments, questions, or recommendations in regards to this series, feel free to email me at kirk@illandodd.com and I'll be sure to get back to you and may include them as part of a mailbag section.