"Lisey's Story," is a romance, celebrating the enduring love between Scott Landon, a wealthy and celebrated author (much like King himself) and his wife of 25 years, Lisey.
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When the story begins, Lisey is a middle-aged widow, unable to clean out her late husband's office because she's still in mourning over Scott's untimely death two years earlier. Then two almost simultaneous events occur: First her sister Amanda becomes so depressed she must be hospitalized, and the onus is on Lisey to take care of the details. When she begins to make arrangements, she discovers that before he died, Scott had made provisions for Amanda at a nearby facility, as if he'd known she'd have a breakdown. At the same time, Lisey is being stalked by one of Scott's rabid fans. When she refuses to acquiesce to the demands of the stranger, whose name is Dooley, he becomes increasingly menacing, such as putting a dead cat in her mailbox.
The novel also reveals key incidents in the past, such as how Scott and Lisey met, and details about Scott's childhood. Scott had an older brother, Paul, whom he revered, but when Paul becomes another in a long line of Landons to become insane, Scott's life is changed. The only things that keep him on an even keel are his ability to channel self-destructive impulses into his writing and Lisey's abiding love for him. In fact, Scott trusts Lisey so much that just before they marry, he teleports them both to a special place he goes when depressed. While there is beauty in this place, called Boo'ya Moon, during daylight hours, and its waters have curative powers, it's dangerous after sunset, and towards the end of their joint visit there, they sense menacing forces lying in wait.
Ten years into their marriage, Scott is shot by a crazed fan and is able to survive only by going to Boo'ya Moon to be healed. Fast forward to the present, with Lisey realizing that to be rid of Dooley, she'll have to return to this strange kingdom. Once there, she'll have to kill Dooley and leave his body there, but this time Scott won't be there to keep her safe.
Lisey manages to teleport Amanda, whom she hopes will help her, Dooley, and herself to this magical place. Because it's daylight, she feels relatively safe. Lisey is also confident she has the upper hand, since she's familiar with the terrain and Dooley has never been there before. Nevertheless, Dooley proves to be a formidable opponent who keeps after his prey until the approach of dusk, when menacing forces begin to emerge from the shadows.
The review of this Book prepared by Elana Starr
