When I graduated high school in Spring 2007, I had read about 80% of every book King had published. Then I kind of stopped reading him for about 10 years, but in the year after I graduated high school, I remember seeing the cover art for Duma Key in the bookstore, and being really transfixed by it. I thought the artwork was so beautiful and I had kind of always wanted to read it. Alas, I never bought it or picked it up for all these years. Since ~2018, I’ve been getting back into Stephen King, and early this year my husband’s father offered to give me some of his Stephen King books that he didn’t want anymore; among them was Duma Key—the hardcover with the original, beautiful artwork dust jacket that I had desired all those years ago. I was extremely grateful for this book, and I finally got to experience this fantastic story in April of this year (2023). I am happy to say, for me, that even though I basically went into this story blind (the artwork attracted me, but I didn’t ever really know anything about the story), Duma Key met and exceeded any expectation I could have had for it. I am so glad I’ve been getting back into Stephen King, and I feel kind of embarrassed that I ever felt like his work was “beneath me” for so long, when on the contrary, his writing has brought me so much pleasure these passed five years, just as it did for me back when I was in high school. Sure, I still love reading serious, literary, classic works, but it’s also okay to simultaneously love and read books that are popular or deemed by some to be less serious. It’s all about what you enjoy and what makes you happy, and this year, Duma Key made me happy.
Duma Key (2008) by Stephen King.
When I graduated high school in Spring 2007, I had read about 80% of every book King had published. Then I kind of stopped reading him for about 10 years, but in the year after I graduated high school, I remember seeing the cover art for Duma Key in the bookstore, and being really transfixed by it. I thought the artwork was so beautiful and I had kind of always wanted to read it. Alas, I never bought it or picked it up for all these years. Since ~2018, I’ve been getting back into Stephen King, and early this year my husband’s father offered to give me some of his Stephen King books that he didn’t want anymore; among them was Duma Key—the hardcover with the original, beautiful artwork dust jacket that I had desired all those years ago. I was extremely grateful for this book, and I finally got to experience this fantastic story in April of this year (2023). I am happy to say, for me, that even though I basically went into this story blind (the artwork attracted me, but I didn’t ever really know anything about the story), Duma Key met and exceeded any expectation I could have had for it. I am so glad I’ve been getting back into Stephen King, and I feel kind of embarrassed that I ever felt like his work was “beneath me” for so long, when on the contrary, his writing has brought me so much pleasure these passed five years, just as it did for me back when I was in high school. Sure, I still love reading serious, literary, classic works, but it’s also okay to simultaneously love and read books that are popular or deemed by some to be less serious. It’s all about what you enjoy and what makes you happy, and this year, Duma Key made me happy.