Duma Key: A Novel

Stephen King

Jan 2008 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Master storyteller Stephen King’s classic, terrifying #1 New York Times bestseller of what happens when the barrier between our world and that of the supernatural is breached.

After a terrible construction site accident severs Edgar Freemantle’s right arm, scrambles his mind, and implodes his marriage, the wealthy Minnesota builder faces the ordeal of rehabilitation, all alone and full of rage. Renting a house on Duma Key—a stunningly beautiful and eerily undeveloped splinter off the Florida coast—Edgar slowly emerges from his prison of pain to bond with Elizabeth Eastlake, a sick, elderly woman whose roots are tangled deep in this place. And as he heals, he paints—feverishly, compulsively, his exploding talent both a wonder and a weapon. For Edgar’s creations are not just paintings, but portals for the ghosts of Elizabeth’s past…and their power cannot be controlled…

Ratings and reviews

Somebody I know very well has read this book multiple times. They have been after me to read this book and Cell. I finally have read both. I get why they enjoy the book so much. I'd say this book is a real mindbender, but just look at the author. It would be more surprising if the book wasn't a mindbender. There are a few things that might be a bit too sensitive for some to read. I believe that could be said about many Stephen King books. (More on blog: Star's Books & Tea)

Duma Key is a novel which exemplifies the power of writing in the first person. King manages to do so, while interjecting his characteristic segues and flashbacks, in a manner which is compelling and thrilling. Definitely one of my top 10 King novels.

I've read all of SK's books and Duma Key is one of my favorites. Haunting, creative and written in his unique style, this story will take you on a fascinating, terrifying, beautiful journey.

About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.