Duma Key: A Novel

Ahh... what can I say about Duma Key, other than it being an extraordinary experience, a literary breath of fresh air, a masterpiece of color and texture without any actual paint being used. I guess there are some people out there who think it's boring or long and not horror (what? you won't mind if this happens to you?) but I instantaneously felt a bond with the book and I can say that I absolutely loved it! The writing itself was so colorful and interesting that I enjoyed each and every page, there was in no rush to get to the ending by any means, but I did like the end, it matched the enigmatic feel of the story and it had a lush, tropical feel to it but it was tainted by something dark and eerie and quite frankly very creepy because it was deadly and corroded with rot. This was an artsy book which took the art rush to a new level, the characters affected by the story could have never imagined their demise and whether they believed in it or not, it was coming. I was attracted to this book right away, partially because of the cover; it always begged to be read and as an artist it touched my sensors in ways that kept me thinking of it often so I finally had to sit down and read it and also because one of my best friends started reading it and I had to follow suit so we could enjoy and discuss it together, it was a real treat to read it at the same time and marvel at the unfolding story.

Edgar Freemantle is a handicapped man who moves to a mythical island of Duma Key, a place that doesn't exist in reality but seems more real than half the vacation spots I've been in. He rents an eccentric salmon colored house in the outskirts close to the water and starts painting with his remaining arm, paintings that change his life - at first for the better but later he realizes that his new found gift is very hungry, and it hungers for things most precious to him. His recovery seems to progress until he starts feeling his missing arm while at the same time strange storms are coming to the island and things that shouldn't be real are happening, Edgar knows that his paintings have more power and meaning than he could have ever imagined and it's up to him to solve the mystery that has enshrouded Duma Key for generations and left many skeletons during it's reign. The story jumps off the cliff with an appearance of a ship on the horizon, Edgar knows that it's not good news, something strange and deadly is on that ship and the closer it gets to him during the stronger the storms around him and his loved ones grow. Even stranger is the sudden deep hold on his sudden artistic talents and the results are quite shocking, but hey they make for great reading. After reading it I can safely say that it's one of my favorite books ever, I even got the hard cover version so I could have the full dust jacket with it's glorious art to see while I read the paperback and carried it with me everywhere. This might not be for everyone, but that's totally fine with me, I loved it and it made an impact on me.

This story is like an exotic fruit bowl, gorgeous from every angle and full of mouth watering rainbow of flavors. The characters in this tale are extremely realistic, from the kooky and zany to the mysterious and deadly, each plays a part that paints such a grand picture that the more I think about it the more I feel the need to read it again, just to dip back into that pool of "AAAhhhhhh.." it creates.. It's really hard to explain but this book was marvelous and it made a bond with my imagination, one that will stay with me for a long time. There is plenty of original mystery and horror and love and growth combined with struggles and some deaths, it all paints a picture worth thousands of words, one that I could stare at forever.

• Kasia S.

A novel of love, loss, grief, and the repercussions of a life changing event wrapped up in a blanket of art, mystery, rediscovery, friendship and family on a mysterious Florida Key. Outstanding! 🙌🏻

Edgar Freemantle is a well to do construction mogul in Minnesota when a tragic accident leaves him disabled with a cracked skull, memory loss, anger, and a missing arm. After his wife leaves him, he uproots his life for a year to move to Duma Key, FL where he discovers he can paint. Voraciously. He soon finds out that Duma Key and his rental home “Big Pink,” is unlike any other place.

This was such a fantastic book! I’m blown away with the descriptions of Florida. The way King describes the Gulf Coast, you would know he’s spent a significant amount of time there. It was beautiful, atmospheric, and very Florida! While Duma Key itself is fictional, it’s location is close to Sarasota, just over the bridge, where there are actual Keys and Duma is depicted so perfectly. I love books that rely on location just as much as characters and Duma Key was an enigma all on its own.

King outdoes himself with the relationships in this book! I LOVED Ms. Eastlake. Daughter of the Godfather, Elizabeth Eastlake was such a spunky old woman with her own bit of mystery and I very much enjoyed her parts. It hit home her having Alzheimer’s. The highlight of this book though was Wireman and Edgar’s friendship and connection. There relationship was almost this instinctual friendship that budded out of practically nowhere and it was such a delight to read. “𝘈𝘪𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘰.”

King builds up the suspense slowly but in true King fashion with expansive imagery, extraordinary characters with significant back stories, eerie undertones, and a supernatural twist that was done so impeccably I’m just in awe of this book. I also LOVED the incorporation of art in this novel. Not only is it just mentioned or the act taken on by our MC, but the expression that IS art and how it makes you feel was portrayed throughout this novel so vividly and I think it very much carried the story as well. Memories are powerful things and this book will certainly stay with me long after I finished the last page. This one tugged on my heartstrings several times throughout. The audiobook narration by John Slattery is highly recommended as he did a superb job with all the characters!

Quotes I loved:

“That’s the essence. The essence of Duma. Why those who live there awhile can never really leave. Even if their heads carry their bodies away, their hearts stay. “ Elizabeth Eastlake while looking at Roses Grow from Shells (a painting by Edgar Freemantle)

“‘Pain is the biggest power of love.’ That’s what Wireman said.”

“I was married to a Mexican lassy and I know jealousy, both are hot and indigestible. It’s normal. Like a startle reflex.”

“Do the day and let the day do you!” - Wireman

“Edgar and Duma, Duma and Edgar, it’s like they were waiting for each other.”

As an author of Florida-themed novels myself, I was curious to see how Stephen King would write about the region. As a longtime fan of this fascinating author, I found his take on life in the warm climes of Florida was indeed delightful and insightful.

In my opinion, King is one author who can write in first-person without boring you with "I this and I that" type dialogue, which he did with Duma Key. He is also a master at painting vivid pictures of his characters, so that you literally see them as you are reading, which only draws you deeper into the story, as if you are a part of it.

Edgar Freemantle, the main character of the novel, is one interesting dude, even with only one arm to call his own. Halfway through the book, I found myself reminiscing about Pet Semetary, another of his brilliant novels, because of the way the story twisted into a similar theme of bringing dead things to life...or the opposite, if he so chose.

I have a feeling that King's memories of his own brush with death several years back had a lot to do with this story on Duma Key. What goes on in Edgar's head regarding his missing limb is just too "right on" not to have come from a similar personal experience.

More often than not, when bad things happen to people the experience is like being reborn, if you can keep your head screwed on straight without going insane. Suddenly, you have no choice but to re-evaluate your life, and even though you may have lost something or someone near and dear to your heart, at the same time you gain another perspective, or in Edgar's case, a new career and a new passion; making do with what you have and doing it brilliantly, for a little while, at least. I think that's what King was trying to portray throughout this story, even though Edgar's paintings had ulterior motives.

"Artistic types aren't morning people", Edgar is quoted as saying more than once in this book, which made me wonder about myself. I'm a huge morning person, often getting up at four or five in the morning...but then, I don't consider myself artistic in the sense of a painter. Maybe it's the creative writers who are the ones getting up before the chickens. Hmmm...I may have to disagree with King here.

Elizabeth Eastlake, although portrayed as just a senile old woman who wore big blue sneakers in the beginning of the book, morphed into an icon toward the middle part of the story, and I fell in love with her, much the same as Edgar and her caretaker Wireman did.

One of King's revelations in the book that I thought was excellent: "How to Draw a Picture - Be brave. Don't be afraid to draw the secret things. No one said art was always a zephyr; sometimes it's a hurricane."

Okay...I wrote all of the above at the halfway point of the book...or thereabouts. What happens on the backside of halfway is what gave me nightmares (by the way...that's a compliment to King, bless his pointy little head). They weren't boogeyman nightmares, but nightmares about my own personal demons, if you can understand that, and they came in rapid fire succession, one after the other, keeping me awake for hours one night.

King doesn't disappoint his readers who thrive on the supernatural, the eerie, the unexplained...he trumps it up in grand style towards the end of the book.

And yes, if you're wondering, it's extremely difficult to put this book down once you get into it, because the suspense keeps building...chapter after chapter. After a while, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I wanted to get to the ending.

And what an ending it was! Heart-wrenching at a certain point. Dang! What an imagination King has been blessed with!

The moral of the story, or at least one moral that I grasped from reading this book - should you be of the mindset that all books must have an underlying message - is that it's okay to emulate your idols, whether you're a writer, a painter, a musician, or whatever floats your creative boat, but do it with your own voice and draw from your own experiences. That's what will make you stand out and be an original artiste. Whether King did this intentionally or not, only he can answer, but that's how I interpreted it...once I reached the halfway point, that is. The back end of the book is just pure King brilliance, as usual; crazy, unbelievable, suspenseful and just plain enjoyable reading.

An excellent read, even if you're not a King fan.