Bag of Bones
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Bag of Bones is a 1998 novel by Stephen King. Novelist Amy Tan has said of the book that it is full of "the witty and obsessive voice of King's powerful imagination." Bag of Bones is important in that it is one of the first of King's books to have been given in-depth literary analysis beyond that of the horror genre by critics.
Its themes include the trials of the writing process (Noonan is a horribly blocked writer), the power of memory (the ghosts of Noonan's past as well as the ghosts of Sara Laughs, the creepy lakeside house to which he moves) and the ghosts lurking close behind the everyday and the mundane. A crucial human element, however, is the struggle of a young widow and her daughter to stay away from the grip of Max Devore, the power-mad figurehead of the community.
Introduction
After the sudden death of his wife Jo, author Mike Noonan is plagued by writer's block, with his dreams haunted by the summer house he shared with her, he reluctantly decides to return to the isolated lakeside retreat.There he finds his once beloved town in the grip of the powerful millionaire Max Devore, who twists this small community to his own purpose, taking his young granddaughter away from her widowed young mother. As Mike becomes drawn into their struggle he falls in love with both of them and is further drawn into the mystery of this ghostly town.
Synopsis
Mike Noonan, an author from Derry, Maine, narrates the story of how his wife, Jo, died while going to the pharmacy. When she died, she was carrying a home pregnancy test, which disturbs Mike because she didn't tell him. For the four years following her death, Mike publishes leftovers that he never released. Experiencing dreams of his summer home, he returns to Sara Laughs, in the unincorporated Maine township of TR-90.Mike meets Mattie Devore, a widow, and her young daughter, Kyra. Mattie's husband was the son of Max Devore, a rich and influential man that didn't approve of his son's marriage to Mattie. Max wants custody of his granddaughter, and Mike decides to get a lawyer for Mattie as a kindness. Mike begins to write once more, miraculously, and meanwhile, Kyra and Mike experience hauntings by presences in their homes. Mike gradually develops feelings for the younger Mattie. Mike soon finds out that his house is haunted by a blues singer, Sara Tidwell, who once lived there. Investigating, he discovers that Sara was raped and murdered by several men-all ancestors to people in the TR-90, including Devore. The men also killed her son, Kito. Sara placed a curse on all of the ancestors: they would each in turn murder their firstborn children.
Noonan finds out that Jo went to TR-90 on several occasions. His demons are laid to rest when he finds out that he would have possibly murdered the unborn child, had it been born: an ancestor of his was present as well. He finds Sara's bones and attempts to use lye to dissolve the bag of bones when an Outsider, a demonic being, appears. When the bones dissipate, the Outsider leaves.
Mike realizes that he is falling in love with Mattie and Kyra, but when Max sends some of his allies to attack him, Mattie is shot and dies. Max has Kyra kidnapped, and Mike finds her as the ghost of Mattie appears and kills her daughter's kidnapper. He also realizes his writer's block lifted only because the ghost of his wife was helping him solve the mystery of Sara Laughs. Mike is trying to gain custody of Kyra, which is unresolved at the end of the story.
Trivia
- Ralph Roberts, the main character from Insomnia, appears briefly in the novel.
- Joe Wyzer, from Insomnia, appears briefly in the novel.
- Outsiders are referenced in The Dark Tower.
- Mike Noonan reads books by Bill Denborough, from It.
- Sara Laughs is located on Dark Score Lake, from Gerald's Game.
- Thad Beaumont, from The Dark Half, is mentioned: he committed suicide.
- Castle Rock, Maine sheriff Alan Pangborn is spoken of.
- Jared Devore, Max's ancestor, mentions Shawshank Prison.
- Sara Laughs is the twin to Cara Laughs, a location in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower.
Movie?
At one point, the novel was optioned for a film, according to King's website. However, the IMDB link related to the film is no longer present.http://www.stephenking.com/pages/faq/future.phpExternal links
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