Dolores Claiborne

Title: Dolores Claiborne

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 1992

Date read: 15th March 2020

Score: 5/5

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Dolores Claiborne" by Stephen King is a chilling psychological thriller and character study, told almost entirely through the first-person monologue of its titular protagonist.

The story is set on Little Tall Island, a remote, insular community off the coast of Maine. Dolores Claiborne, a seventy-year-old housekeeper, has been accused of murdering her wealthy, elderly employer, Vera Donovan. The novel is Dolores's lengthy, impassioned, and sometimes darkly humorous testimony to the police detectives and others gathered in Vera's house.

Dolores begins by vehemently denying the murder of Vera, claiming that Vera died from an accidental fall down the stairs. However, as she recounts her life story, a far more shocking and complex narrative unfolds, revealing the deep-seated resentments, abuses, and secrets that have shaped her existence.

Her testimony delves into her long and turbulent marriage to Joe St. George, a brutal, abusive, and alcoholic man. She describes the physical and emotional torment she endured, and, most horrifyingly, the sexual abuse he inflicted upon their daughter, Selena. This revelation becomes the central, driving force behind Dolores's actions.

The bulk of the novel focuses on the events leading up to the solar eclipse of 1963, a pivotal day on the island. On this day, driven to her breaking point by Joe's abuse and his molestation of Selena, Dolores meticulously plans and executes Joe's murder. She stages it to look like an accident, drowning him in a well during the chaos of the eclipse, believing the celestial event would mask her actions.

Throughout her confession, Dolores portrays Vera Donovan not just as an employer but as a complex figure, at times cruel and demanding, but also a confidante and a silent accomplice in Dolores's unspoken understanding of the world. The relationship between the two women is central to the narrative, revealing a bond forged in shared experiences of survival and a certain grim appreciation for each other's resilience.

"Dolores Claiborne" is a powerful exploration of domestic abuse, survival, the desperate measures a mother might take to protect her children, and the enduring strength of a woman pushed to her limits. It's a raw and unfiltered look at a life defined by hardship, secrets, and a grim form of justice.

Comments:
Mightily impressed. Not they typical King horror but crammed with suspense. An incredible page turner that I couldn't put down How a single narrative can keep you enthralled for so long? Mr King!

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)