A book a day: Stephen King: Gerald’s game

Original Language: English

Títutulus original: Gerald’s Game

Translation: María Vidal Campos

Year of publication: 1992

Valoración: Alright

Last weekend I saw the movie based on this book by Stephen King. The premise seemed interesting to me; It is one of those thrillers in which an absurd situation gives a disastrous turn to a seemingly normal and boring life.

A married couple, who celebrates their twentieth anniversary, escapes a lonely house in the forest. In a ridiculous attempt to keep the flame of passion alive, they venture into a role -playing game in which the woman ends up handcuffed to bed, using real police and the whole thing. The husband, after his failed representation of stallion, suffers a collapse and ends up dead at the foot of the bed. Here begins the heart of the story: the woman is trapped in a macabre game, forced to free themselves from her bonds before thirst, hunger (or something else, tan-tan-taan) consume it.

The limit situation faced by the protagonist unleashes memories of traumas of her childhood, causing hallucinations and paranoia. These elements of unreality contribute an interesting seasoning to an already attractive premise.

What drove me to read the book after watching the movie was that, in the latter, there is a kind of epilogue that has nothing to do with the main story; It seems rather a parallel plot that could not develop fully due to the temporal limitations of a film. I was sure that, if fully developed, the story would have been substantially enriched.

Unfortunately, the film is a faithful adaptation of the book. What begins as a cattle and promising story does not finish curdling, with many loose ends and a forced epilogue that tries to give a conclusion to the plot.

However, if we do not focus too much on those details, the novel has all the elements to offer satisfactory reading. The most remarkable thing is that practically the entire work is presented as an inner monologue; In this “monologue” inhabit voices, hallucinations, appearances (perhaps) and ghosts of the protagonist’s past. Although all the dialogues supposedly develop in their mind, there is doubt about whether it is memories, delusions or, perhaps, possessions. This narrative wealth is reflected, to some extent, in film adaptation, which uses hallucinations and ghosts to recreate that oppressive atmosphere.

Both the novel and the film present ups and downs. While the cinematographic adaptation sins of hasty and leaves loose ends, the literary work stands out for its psychological depth and its interesting use of the inner monologue (although sometimes somewhat exasperating). A book that can be enjoyed if certain details are overlooked.

Other books by Stephen King in Ulad: the fog and other stories, the cycle of the werewolf, revival, it (ESO), the four stations, Tommyknockers, the fugitive, sleeping beauties, animal cemetery, the story of Lisey, Carrie, the man of the black suit, 11/22/63, Buick 8, a perverse car, joyland, blockade, white I write, the institute, insomnia, cell, the dome, misery, the glow, Billy Summers, doctor dream, the mystery of Salem’s Lot,