The Stephen King Thing - Dreamcatcher

In this latest episode of the Being Bookish spin-off, The Stephen King Thing, I am joined by Lorraine from ‪@onceuponanightmarepod‬ to take on Stephen King's Dreamcatcher, one of his most divisive novels. We talk about the book's dated language and the back-cover setup. We also cover how King wrote it while recovering from his accident, and why it reads like a fever dream. Bathroom horror and childish humour come up next. Then we get into the heart of the story: four friends, their bond with Duddits, and the compassion and equality that hold the group together. Along the way, we look at the book's many invasions (the stranger at the cabin, the aliens and the military), ask who the real monsters are, and discuss Mr Gray, Jonesy's possession and the film adaptation. Is Dreamcatcher a lesser King novel, or has it been judged too harshly? We finish by talking about how each of us reads, imagines, ranks and rereads books, push back on gatekeeping around audiobooks and different ways of learning, and look ahead to future Stephen King reads. Unlike other Being Bookish episodes, this one contains spoilers throughout.