#52 – Dolores Claiborne

Plot

When Vera Donovan, one of the wealthiest and most ill-natured residents of Maine’s Little Tall Island, dies suddenly in her home, suspicion is immediately cast on her housekeeper and caretaker, Dolores Claiborne.

Dolores herself is no stranger to such mistrust, thanks to the local chatter and mysterious circumstances surrounding her abusive husband’s death twenty-nine years earlier. But if this is truly to be the day of Dolores Claiborne’s reckoning, she has a few things of her own that she’d like to get off her chest … and begins to confess a spirited, intimate, and harrowing tale of the darkest secrets hidden within her hardscrabble existence, revealing above all one woman’s unwavering determination to weather the storm of her life with grace and protect the one she loves, no matter what the cost.

Review

A unique book in the fact that it’s one long monologue told in the first person. No chapter breaks, no differing point-of-views, and no flashbacks. It’s simply Dolores Claiborne telling her story. Don’t get me wrong – it’s an interesting story and held my attention throughout – but it oftentimes reads like one long run-on sentence.

Dolores Claiborne was written the same year as Gerald’s Game (1992) and both share a common theme of women dealing with a crisis during an eclipse. Some label this as King’s feminist period. When you consider that Rose Madder came out soon after, it’s hard to argue that label, as men are not portrayed in the best of light in all three of those novels.

The story itself is well-told and deals with major issues such as anxiety, depression and spousal abuse. The characters are well-developed – especially Dolores and Vera. There’s a lot to like about this novel – but the strange structure didn’t sit well with me.

Details

Pages: 395

Dates Read: March – May 2021

Quote: “Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman’s got to hold on to.”

Best Part: It’ll be very difficult to look at an outside well and not think of this story.

Hint for #51: If a piece of artwork has ever spoken to you, then this is your novel.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.