Stephen King

Jessie is trapped: during an ill-fated S&M game, she kicks her husband and induces a fatal coronary. She is handcuffed to the bed in a lakeside cabin in the middle of nowhere, with no means of escape. Voices in her head force her to confront a buried childhood trauma.

Gerald's Game

Now a Netflix movie directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Hush) and starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood.

Master storyteller Stephen King presents this classic, terrifying #1 New York Times bestseller. When a game of seduction between a husband and wife ends in death, the nightmare has only begun…

“And now the voice which spoke belonged to no one but herself. Oh my God, it said. Oh my God, I am all alone out here. I am all alone.”

Once again, Jessie Burlingame has been talked into submitting to her husband Gerald’s kinky sex games—something that she’s frankly had enough of, and they never held much charm for her to begin with. So much for a “romantic getaway” at their secluded summer home. After Jessie is handcuffed to the bedposts—and Gerald crosses a line with his wife—the day ends with deadly consequences. Now Jessie is utterly trapped in an isolated lakeside house that has become her prison—and comes face-to-face with her deepest, darkest fears and memories. Her only company is that of the various voices filling her mind…as well as the shadows of nightfall that may conceal an imagined or very real threat right there with her…

High Fidelity

But remembering a thing and reliving a thing did not confer an obligation to tell about a thing, even when the memories made you sweat and the nightmares made you scream.

Roman

Das Spiel

Justin Staack

6 Punkte

Eine interessante Idee, die Fesseln der Vergangenheit durch die Handschellen der Gegenwart zu symbolisieren. King schafft es erneut, differenzierte Figuren zu erschaffen, deren Handlungsmotive und Reflexionen derer Taten, uns mit der Frage auseinandersetzen, ob diese Person böse ist oder nicht. Leider wird King hier seinen Ruf, er könne keine guten Enden schreiben, gerecht. Wie großartig wäre es gewesen, wenn Joubert nicht real gewesen wäre und er für Jessie die Manifestation ihrer Ängste, vor ihrer Vergangenheit und der Angst vor männlichen Bezugspersonen (die sie nie beschützen konnten, wie es normalerweise als Kind wäre) gewesen wäre. Stattdessen wird er real. Er tut Jessie nichts und hat auch keine weitere Verbindung mit ihr. Darum ist es nicht begreiflich, wieso sie ihn so abgrundtief verabscheut, ihn verfolgt und ihm vor Gericht in das Gesicht spuckt. Dadurch hat sie selbst für mich viel Achtung verloren, da es kein wirkliches Motiv für ihr handeln gab- Sehr schade

When rough sex between Jessie and Gerald Burlingame turns deadly, leaving Gerald dead and Jessie handcuffed to the bed, it sets in motion a terrifying and psychologically twisted twenty-eight hours.

Lara Engle

Mirella Hetekivi

I literally forgot how to breathe reading this one. Spot on!

It takes a true genius to write a 400+ pages long captivating and non-stop nerve-racking book in which the main character is stuck in one and the same place throughout the entire paper brick. Few people know how to translate the true horrors of human nature into words as well as King does. 

...So glad this one is over though, ugh, sweet mother of air...

Abigail Dougherty

this book was pretty good, there was some dry points in the book and it wasn't one of Kings best but it was still extraordinary, the setting and plot was very well written

Krystal 

Now a Netflix movie directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Hush) and starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood. Master storyteller Stephen King presents this classic, terrifying #1 New York Times bestseller. When a game of seduction between a husband and wife ends in death, the nightmare has only begun… “And now the voice which spoke belonged to no one but herself. Oh my God, it said. Oh my God, I am all alone out here. I am all alone.” Once again, Jessie Burlingame has been talked into submitting to her husband Gerald’s kinky sex games—something that she’s frankly had enough of, and they never held much charm for her to begin with. So much for a “romantic getaway” at their secluded summer home. After Jessie is handcuffed to the bedposts—and Gerald crosses a line with his wife—the day ends with deadly consequences. Now Jessie is utterly trapped in an isolated lakeside house that has become her prison—and comes face-to-face with her deepest, darkest fears and memories. Her only company is that of the various voices filling her mind…as well as the shadows of nightfall that may conceal an imagined or very real threat right there with her…

A Novel

Andy Nicolaides

I’ve read quite a few Stephen King book now, over the years, and one thing that never fails to amaze me is his ability to make even the most mundane setting thrilling, and completely blow away my expectations. The Long Walk is a good example of this. As the name suggests, it’s literally about a long walk, yet it’s an engrossing tale and, through his literary magic, King delivers.

Gerald’s game is another example of this. For the most part, the story takes place in a single location, with Jessie quickly finding herself tied to a bed via handcuffs and a dead husband on the floor. This simple premise leads to another classic King psychological journey for the main protagonist. One of my favourite King books I’ve read so far has been Misery and this has a lot of those same vibes. I’ve got to say, however, that it is in no way as good as Misery, and if you’ve read it, you may be left a little disappointed by this one.

Misery involves a lot of very physical gore and horror, whereas Gerald’s game is an almost direct antithesis of this. Much of the narrative focuses on the psychological trauma Jessie experiences, both related to her current situation and her past and it’s a very interesting alternative take on the aforementioned story. Both Paul in Misery, and Jessie in Gerald’s game are being held against there will, but by very different antagonists or forces.

Spoiler free reviews I’d read for the book prior to starting it all seemed to mention a poor second act of the story, and whilst the story does indeed change direction somewhat about two thirds in, it’s still a worthy read and wraps things up suitably.

If you haven’t read Misery, I’d definitely recommend that first, but if you’re after a slightly smaller, and more psychological alternative to it then I would really recommend Gerald’s Game. That being said, unlike any other author I’ve read, I can honestly say I’ve not read a King would I wouldn’t recommend. Do yourself a favour, and get all in on King.

Devin Ware

I will always owe a huge debt of gratitude to Stephen King. He is one of the main reasons I chose to become a writer, and he filled my teenage years with nightmares and wonderful, horrifying stories. 
This story is an excellent one. It's creative and terrifying and you feel so deeply for the heroine as she overcomes both her physical and mental obstacles in her fight to survive. It's a heartfelt and fearless look into the how traumatic events can damage us. 
The only thing keeping me from rating it higher is the same thing that keeps me from enjoying all of Stephen King's books. The older I get, the more I dislike his writing style. I used to love it, then I didn't care that much, and now it's feeling more and more like a chore to get through it. The stories are the only reason I still read him, because they are so damn good, and I insist you give this book a try, especially if you're not so persnickety about writing style as I am. It is well worth your while.

Sally

This could actually be one of my favourite King books.

Chelsey

this is one of my favorite stephen king books and perhaps the scariest (of the ones i’ve read). it’s also one of the only endings that i think king does well. what i love most about this book is that 80% of it takes place in one room - but you’re totally gripped by the story the entire time. especially near the end, it has me in its teeth and my heart is pumping and i’m scared and on the edge of my seat. i think gerald’s game does a great job of balancing psychological horror and real horror to create a scenario that at some points seems like something that could actually happen and would be totally terrifying.

Alyssa Jacunski

I decided to pick up the audio of this book for a couple reasons: 1. I've enjoyed Stephen King books more on audio thus far and 2. my boyfriend and I wanted to watch the Netflix movie. I ended up DNF at about 60%. 

I was finding it difficult to connect with the main character and I honestly didn't care what happened. Does that mean that I'll never pick it up again, no. But it's less likely now that I know I'm not into it. This could also be due to recently listening to "The Shining" - which is far superior to this one. 

Overall, this wasn't for me.

Trigger warnings: sexual abuse of a child

Nika Teiler

Sarah Campbell

Tierney Ahad

sin h.

Yuri croci

Ethan Evans

Jordan

A. D. Knapp

Now a Netflix movie directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Hush) and starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood. A game. A husband and wife game. Gerald's Game. But this time Jesse didn't want to play. Lying there, spreadeagled and handcuffed to the bedstead while he'd loomed and drooled over her, she felt angry and humiliated. So she'd kicked out hard. Aimed to hit him where it hurt. He wasn't meant to die, leaving Jesse alone and helpless in a lakeside holiday cabin. Miles from anywhere. No-one to hear her screams. Alone. Except for the voices in her head that had begun to chatter and argue and sneer . . .

Gerald's Game

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