#16 – Cujo

Plot

Cujo used to be a big friendly dog, lovable and loyal to his trinity (THE MAN, THE WOMAN, and THE BOY) and everyone around him, and always did his best to not be a BAD DOG. But that all ends on the day this nearly two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard makes the mistake of chasing a rabbit into a hidden underground cave, setting off a tragic chain of events.

Now Cujo is no longer himself as he is slowly overcome by a growing sickness, one that consumes his mind even as his once affable thoughts turn uncontrollably and inexorably to hatred and murder. Cujo is about to become the center of a horrifying vortex that will inescapably draw in everyone around him—a relentless reign of terror, fury, and madness from which no one in Castle Rock will truly be safe.

Review

On Sunday I discussed how Carrie would be a likely top Family Feud answer when naming Stephen King books.  Today we get another, as Cujo is another classic King tale.  Fortunately for this Constant Reader, it was just as captivating and compelling as Carrie – if not more so.  

An important note to keep in mind during these rankings is the perspective of the reader.  I would have had a completely different reaction to this book when I was 20 than I did in my 30s.  The young-single-childless Luke Florence would likely not have been as emotionally connected to Cujo as the older-married-father version.  

To what depths will a parent go to protect their child?  Would you be willing to lose your life if it meant your child kept theirs?  I imagine that we all think we would do the brave and honorable thing, but the reality is that’s just not the case. 

For example – I ran after my dog the other night to prevent her from chasing some animal in our backyard, only to completely abandon her when I saw a skunk coming right at me.  I can only hope I would respond better if I were in a situation like the one King presents in Cujo.

Could the writing in Cujo be a little crisper?  Yes.  Could the characters have been a little more developed?  Yes.  Does Cujo have flaws that some of the other top-20 books do not?  Yes.  King himself doesn’t even remember writing this novel as it was during his peak alcohol days.  And yet, I was hooked by the premise and completely bought in to the riveting final sequences.  

Details

Pages: 496

Dates Read: March – April 2020

Quote: “The world was full of monsters, and they were all allowed to bite the innocent and the unwary.”

Best Part: Anything written from the perspective of Cujo.

Hint for #15: Thanks to this book I am quick to tell you when JFK served as president – and the date he tragically stopped.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.