Loss

The grieving process, or how mankind deals with loss, is the core concept behind Pet Sematary. Stephen King does a nice job of presenting the clinical stages of grief and the emotionally wrenching feelings that accompany those stages. It is easy to understand, intellectually, that denial is a part of the grieving process. It is significantly harder for Louis to accept that he is in denial about Gage's death because he is in the thrall of painful emotions. Pet Sematary is an exploration of every parent's greatest nightmare, the loss of a child. The author, a father himself, deals with these fears in a moving and realistic fashion. The characters of Rachel, Ellie and Gage are drawn with such attention to detail that the reader becomes emotionally invested in the success and happiness of the Creed family. Even Louis, with all his flaws, desperately loves his family, and...