Good doggy...

Late last night, I finished Cujo. You know, the novel written by Stephen King and published in 1981?

Okay, so it's been 38 years since publication, but that didn't bother me at all, after all, I lived through the 80's and remember it fairly well.

I'll try to avoid spoilers, but the basic premise is so well known by now that I'm assuming you know the central issue of the story is a dog with rabies. A St. Bernard in fact, and apparently one of almost world record size. The titular dog, Cujo, is mentioned to weigh 200 pounds (90kg) and the world record dog was 210 pounds (95kg).

The novel is set in King's fictional town of Castle Rock, in Maine during an unusually hot summer. There is a small cast of characters and a large part of the book concerns their interconnected lives. The rest of the book is about a couple of people trapped in a hot car with the dog trying to kill them.

I found that from the start, King weaves a very compelling narrative. Even though it's essentially just normal life, he makes it interesting without bogging you down in pointless detail. Everything has a meaning, even if it might take the entire book to understand it.

The characters are incredibly believable, with their hopes and fears realistically portrayed. Good or bad, you know there are people like this, even though you might not have met any. Likewise, the environment works.

The book is set in 1980, but that really doesn't matter that much. I really don't think it would have mattered all that much if the story was set today. Yeah, the whole trapped-in-a-car scenario would be different with mobile phones, but those run out of battery and not everyone keeps an adapter in their car.

So, what is my verdict? Cujo is a very enjoyable book. Before going into it, I knew as much as I mentioned above, but the book is something that has to be experienced. Even if I broke down the whole thing, you would still have to read it to really get it. I did find towards the end that there was a coincidence too many, but that's about the worst thing I can say about it.

Is it a horror novel though? Depends on your definition of horror. There is no murderous supernatural clown here, nor is there magic or vampires, but a 200 pound rabid dog hell-bent on ripping you to shreds is pretty damn scary. It's a more mundane and down to earth story compared to some of King's other works, but a very easy and good read.

If you haven't read it, and you're in the mood for something tense and miserable (in a good way), then read Cujo.

That's it for this time. Until next time, have a great week and stay away from rabid dogs!