Bag of Bones
Encyclopedia
Bag of Bones is a 1998 novel by Stephen King
. It focuses on an author who suffers severe writer's block
and delusions at an isolated lake house
four years after the death of his wife. It won the British Fantasy Award in 1999.
Four years after Jo's death, Mike begins to experience nightmares set at his summer house in TR-90, an unregistered township in Maine. He decides to confront his fears and moves to the house, known to locals as Sara Laughs. Mike finds Kyra, a young girl, walking down the road on her own. He brings her back to safety and her mother, 20-year-old Mattie Devore.
Mike learns from his caretaker Bill that Mattie's father-in-law is Max Devore, an elderly rich man who will do anything to gain custody of his granddaughter. Kyra's father, Lance, has died. Max learns of Mike and threatens him over the situation. Mike hires John Storrow, a custody lawyer, for Mattie. Invited to dinner, Mike gets to know Mattie and Kyra, and learns more about their situation. In passing, Mattie repeats a remark once made to her by Max Devore, implying that the two men's great-grandfathers were associates. Mike is puzzled by this, since his family came from points quite distant from TR-90.
Max manages to drag Mike into the custody battle by forcing him to make a deposition for the impending custody hearing. Accompanied by a local lawyer, Romeo Bissonette, Mike makes the custody lawyer hired by Devore look foolish by beating him at his own game and calling his bluff.
Mike begins to write again. Mike realizes that the ghost of Jo is assisting him in solving the mystery of Sara Tidwell, a blues singer whose ghost is haunting the house. Mike asks the locals what happened to Sara Tidwell, and is warned to refrain from digging in old scandals. He also learns that Jo frequently returned to the town in the year before her death, without telling him.
Max Devore threatens Mike again, and in an encounter with Mike, Max and his personal assistant, Rogette, try to drown him. Mike survives due to the help of his wife's spirit. In an unexpected turn of events, Max Devore commits suicide, which seemingly leaves Mattie and Kyra free from his influence.
Throughout the novel, Mike experiences psychic phenomena. He has complex dreams of Sara Tidwell, Mattie, and Jo; he speaks on the phone with Mattie and can tell not only what she is wearing, but what she is thinking. After Devore's death, Mike is plagued by uneasy feelings on behalf of Mattie. Clues gradually appear, provided by Jo, while Sara Tidwell's spirit fights to keep him from learning the truth. He begins to understand some of it when he notices how many names of local inhabitants begin with a "K" or "C." He learns how relatives of several people he knows in town have drowned in childhood.
Mike, Mattie, John, Romeo Bissonette, and George (a detective that helped Romeo with the trial) are having a party when two gunmen commit a drive-by shooting. Mattie is shot fatally in the head, while John, Romeo and George are wounded. George fires back, rupturing the fuel tank and causing the car to crash into a ditch, where it burst into flames. Mike, the only adult not hit, takes Kyra back to Sara Laughs as a huge storm breaks. Under the influence of the ghost of Sara Tidwell, he finds himself preparing to drown Kyra and commit suicide himself, going so far as to give Kyra cocoa and Benadryl
to make her sleep, and drawing the bath. The ghost of Jo is trying to prevent him from doing what he's doing.
Jo's spirit calls Mike's attention to a novel he has begun to write. Hidden in the pages are clues that clarify some of the mysteries that have confronted him in the house. As Kyra sleeps, Mike goes to Jo's studio to search for answers. He discovers documents that Jo had hidden away before her death, among them a genealogy showing Mike's blood relationship to one of the town families. Several families had firstborn children with "K" names who had been murdered or died under suspicious circumstances. The genealogy shows that Mike and Jo's child would have been the next firstborn child with a "K" name in the family line.
Mike realizes this must be Sara Tidwell's curse for something that had been done to her. He leaves the house with a shovel and a bottle of lye to search for Sara's grave, knowing that the only way to break the curse is to destroy Sara's bones. On his way the ghosts of Max Devore's grandfather and several members of the old families attempt to thwart his progress. Mike learns in a vision that these men had viciously raped and killed Sara, and drowned her son Kito in the lake; all the "K" children who have died were descendants of those men. Mike makes it to the gravesite, but Sara's ghost tries to stop Mike by assuming corporeal form. Jo appears in corporeal form as well and tells Mike he must hurry, as Sara has been taken over by an "Outsider" to harm Mike and prevent him from reaching Sara's bones. Jo struggles to fight off the Outsider while Mike digs up and destroys Sara's bones with the lye, ending the curse.
Returning to the house, Mike discovers that Rogette has kidnapped Kyra, attempting to complete Sara's task. Mike follows Kyra and Rogette to a neighboring property, arriving just as Kyra bites Rogette and attempts to flee onto a floating dock heaving in the waves from the storm. Discovering the last mystery surrounding Sara's curse, Mike tries to hit Rogette and keep her away from Kyra. Mattie's ghost appears and knocks Rogette into the lake. Rogette tries to pull Mike in with her, but is impaled by wreckage from the dock. Mattie's ghost says her goodbyes to Mike and Kyra, telling Kyra that she is now Mike's "little guy".
The novel ends with an epilogue in which readers are told that Mike has retired from writing and is attempting to adopt Kyra. His status as a single, unrelated male complicates things, and the adoption has taken longer than Mike anticipated. The state has allowed Mike to visit Kyra, and she has been allowed overnight stays with him. The outcome of the adoption is left unresolved at the end of the novel, but the reader is given hope that it will be a positive outcome. The Outsider is also referred to when the "bag of bones" reference is touched on: "It wants what's in the bag."
declared Bag of Bones to be "a powerful, moving novel." Elizabeth Hand praised it lavishly: "What is extraordinary here is how good the writing is. . . . The characterizations are plummy, the dialogue sharp, and even the ghosts play second fiddle to Mike Noonan and his genuinely anguished midlife crisis."
Bram Stoker Award
winner for Best Novel in 1998
. It is read by Stephen King himself, one of several books he has read himself for audio version publication, including Hearts in Atlantis
, Lunch at the Gotham Cafe
, and In the Deathroom
. Intermingled with the text are bits of music and a song sung by Sara Tidwell; this music and song were recorded specifically for the audio version of Bag of Bones. Finally, the audio version of this book includes an interview with Stephen King.
", a short story from his then-upcoming collection Just After Sunset
.
and written by screenwriter Matt Venne is in pre-production. The filmmakers had been hoping to shoot the film in Maine, but due to the failure of a proposed tax incentive in June, they are now far less likely to do so. Michigan was likely to be the next place to shoot, however filming is now set to start in Nova Scotia, Canada in August 2011.
A new report added that the project will be made into a four-hour miniseries to be aired on A&E
, and that Irish actor Pierce Brosnan
would take the lead role of Mike Noonan, with Broadway actress Anika Noni Rose
taking the role of Sara Tidwell.
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. It focuses on an author who suffers severe writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
and delusions at an isolated lake house
Summer house
A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed to provide cool shady places...
four years after the death of his wife. It won the British Fantasy Award in 1999.
Plot summary
The narrator, Mike Noonan, suffers from severe writer's block after the death of his wife, Johanna (called Jo), from an undiagnosed brain aneurysm, as well as the death of his unborn child. Fortunately, Mike has four unpublished manuscripts that will hide his problems for a time.Four years after Jo's death, Mike begins to experience nightmares set at his summer house in TR-90, an unregistered township in Maine. He decides to confront his fears and moves to the house, known to locals as Sara Laughs. Mike finds Kyra, a young girl, walking down the road on her own. He brings her back to safety and her mother, 20-year-old Mattie Devore.
Mike learns from his caretaker Bill that Mattie's father-in-law is Max Devore, an elderly rich man who will do anything to gain custody of his granddaughter. Kyra's father, Lance, has died. Max learns of Mike and threatens him over the situation. Mike hires John Storrow, a custody lawyer, for Mattie. Invited to dinner, Mike gets to know Mattie and Kyra, and learns more about their situation. In passing, Mattie repeats a remark once made to her by Max Devore, implying that the two men's great-grandfathers were associates. Mike is puzzled by this, since his family came from points quite distant from TR-90.
Max manages to drag Mike into the custody battle by forcing him to make a deposition for the impending custody hearing. Accompanied by a local lawyer, Romeo Bissonette, Mike makes the custody lawyer hired by Devore look foolish by beating him at his own game and calling his bluff.
Mike begins to write again. Mike realizes that the ghost of Jo is assisting him in solving the mystery of Sara Tidwell, a blues singer whose ghost is haunting the house. Mike asks the locals what happened to Sara Tidwell, and is warned to refrain from digging in old scandals. He also learns that Jo frequently returned to the town in the year before her death, without telling him.
Max Devore threatens Mike again, and in an encounter with Mike, Max and his personal assistant, Rogette, try to drown him. Mike survives due to the help of his wife's spirit. In an unexpected turn of events, Max Devore commits suicide, which seemingly leaves Mattie and Kyra free from his influence.
Throughout the novel, Mike experiences psychic phenomena. He has complex dreams of Sara Tidwell, Mattie, and Jo; he speaks on the phone with Mattie and can tell not only what she is wearing, but what she is thinking. After Devore's death, Mike is plagued by uneasy feelings on behalf of Mattie. Clues gradually appear, provided by Jo, while Sara Tidwell's spirit fights to keep him from learning the truth. He begins to understand some of it when he notices how many names of local inhabitants begin with a "K" or "C." He learns how relatives of several people he knows in town have drowned in childhood.
Mike, Mattie, John, Romeo Bissonette, and George (a detective that helped Romeo with the trial) are having a party when two gunmen commit a drive-by shooting. Mattie is shot fatally in the head, while John, Romeo and George are wounded. George fires back, rupturing the fuel tank and causing the car to crash into a ditch, where it burst into flames. Mike, the only adult not hit, takes Kyra back to Sara Laughs as a huge storm breaks. Under the influence of the ghost of Sara Tidwell, he finds himself preparing to drown Kyra and commit suicide himself, going so far as to give Kyra cocoa and Benadryl
Diphenhydramine
Diphenhydramine hydrochloride is a first-generation antihistamine possessing anticholinergic, antitussive, antiemetic, and sedative properties which is mainly used to treat allergies. Like most other first-generation antihistamines, the drug also has a powerful hypnotic effect, and for this reason...
to make her sleep, and drawing the bath. The ghost of Jo is trying to prevent him from doing what he's doing.
Jo's spirit calls Mike's attention to a novel he has begun to write. Hidden in the pages are clues that clarify some of the mysteries that have confronted him in the house. As Kyra sleeps, Mike goes to Jo's studio to search for answers. He discovers documents that Jo had hidden away before her death, among them a genealogy showing Mike's blood relationship to one of the town families. Several families had firstborn children with "K" names who had been murdered or died under suspicious circumstances. The genealogy shows that Mike and Jo's child would have been the next firstborn child with a "K" name in the family line.
Mike realizes this must be Sara Tidwell's curse for something that had been done to her. He leaves the house with a shovel and a bottle of lye to search for Sara's grave, knowing that the only way to break the curse is to destroy Sara's bones. On his way the ghosts of Max Devore's grandfather and several members of the old families attempt to thwart his progress. Mike learns in a vision that these men had viciously raped and killed Sara, and drowned her son Kito in the lake; all the "K" children who have died were descendants of those men. Mike makes it to the gravesite, but Sara's ghost tries to stop Mike by assuming corporeal form. Jo appears in corporeal form as well and tells Mike he must hurry, as Sara has been taken over by an "Outsider" to harm Mike and prevent him from reaching Sara's bones. Jo struggles to fight off the Outsider while Mike digs up and destroys Sara's bones with the lye, ending the curse.
Returning to the house, Mike discovers that Rogette has kidnapped Kyra, attempting to complete Sara's task. Mike follows Kyra and Rogette to a neighboring property, arriving just as Kyra bites Rogette and attempts to flee onto a floating dock heaving in the waves from the storm. Discovering the last mystery surrounding Sara's curse, Mike tries to hit Rogette and keep her away from Kyra. Mattie's ghost appears and knocks Rogette into the lake. Rogette tries to pull Mike in with her, but is impaled by wreckage from the dock. Mattie's ghost says her goodbyes to Mike and Kyra, telling Kyra that she is now Mike's "little guy".
The novel ends with an epilogue in which readers are told that Mike has retired from writing and is attempting to adopt Kyra. His status as a single, unrelated male complicates things, and the adoption has taken longer than Mike anticipated. The state has allowed Mike to visit Kyra, and she has been allowed overnight stays with him. The outcome of the adoption is left unresolved at the end of the novel, but the reader is given hope that it will be a positive outcome. The Outsider is also referred to when the "bag of bones" reference is touched on: "It wants what's in the bag."
Connection to King's other works
- Ralph Roberts, the main character from InsomniaInsomnia (novel)Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. Like It and Dreamcatcher, its setting is the fictional town of Derry, Maine. The original hardcover edition was issued with dust jackets in two complementary designs...
, appears briefly in the novel. During his appearance he asks Mike Noonan if he suffers from insomniaInsomniaInsomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
. Noonan also notes Roberts's death, as described in Insomnia'sInsomnia (novel)Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. Like It and Dreamcatcher, its setting is the fictional town of Derry, Maine. The original hardcover edition was issued with dust jackets in two complementary designs...
epilogue. Joe Wyzer, also from InsomniaInsomnia (novel)Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. Like It and Dreamcatcher, its setting is the fictional town of Derry, Maine. The original hardcover edition was issued with dust jackets in two complementary designs...
, appears briefly in the novel. - Ray Garraty, the main character from The Long WalkThe Long WalkThe Long Walk is a novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books, and has seen several reprints since, as both paperback & hardback...
, is mentioned in the novel. However, there's no indication this is the same Ray Garraty; this Ray Garraty is a character in a novel Noonan is working on during his stay at Sara Laughs. - Jo Noonan reads books by Bill Denbrough, including ItIt (novel)It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous inter-dimensional predatory life-form that exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It"...
. - Sara Laughs is located on Dark Score Lake, from Gerald's GameGerald's GameGerald's Game is a psychological horror novel by Stephen King. The story is about a woman who accidentally kills her husband while she is handcuffed to the bed as part of a bondage game, and, following the subsequent realisation that she is trapped with little hope of rescue, begins to let the...
. - Mike Noonan lives in DerryDerry (Stephen King)Derry, Maine is a fictional town and a part of Stephen King's fictional Maine topography, and, like Castle Rock, it has served as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. It first appeared in the short story "The Bird and the Album" and was expanded on in both It and...
, the setting for ItIt (novel)It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous inter-dimensional predatory life-form that exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It"...
and InsomniaInsomnia (novel)Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. Like It and Dreamcatcher, its setting is the fictional town of Derry, Maine. The original hardcover edition was issued with dust jackets in two complementary designs...
. - Thad Beaumont, from The Dark HalfThe Dark HalfThe Dark Half is a horror novel by Stephen King, published in 1989. Publishers Weekly listed The Dark Half as the second best-selling book of 1989 behind Tom Clancy's Clear and Present Danger. It was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 1993.Stephen King wrote several books under a...
, is mentioned as having killed himself. - Norris Ridgewick, sheriff of Castle Rock, shows up at Mike's door. Mike asks about former sheriff Alan Pangborn, and Norris mentions Polly Chalmers. All three were central characters in Needful ThingsNeedful ThingsNeedful Things is a 1991 horror novel by American author Stephen King. According to the cover, it is "The Last Castle Rock Story." However, the town later served as the setting for the short story "It Grows on You," published in King's 1993 collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes which, according to...
. - Jared Devore, Max's ancestor, mentions Shawshank PrisonRita Hayworth and Shawshank RedemptionRita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is a novella by Stephen King, from his collection Different Seasons . It has been hailed by critics as King's "greatest work", and "masterpiece". The novella was adapted for the screen in 1994 as The Shawshank Redemption, itself a lauded film, nominated for...
. - Near the end of the novel, Mike wonders if the events he witnessed might indicate that he is ready for Juniper Hill, a facility for the dangerously insane, which featured prominently in ItIt (novel)It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous inter-dimensional predatory life-form that exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It"...
. - Sara Laughs is the twinner to Cara Laughs, a location in The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower.
- Lisey's StoryLisey's StoryLisey's Story is a novel by Stephen King combining the elements of psychological horror and romance. It was released on October 24, 2006, and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2007.-Plot:...
, King's 2006 novel, mentions a Mike Noonan novel, but not the outcome of his adoption of Kyra. - TR-90 is the location of Kashwak in King's novel CellCell (novel)Cell is an apocalyptic horror novel published by American author Stephen King in 2006. The story follows a New England artist struggling to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell phone network turns the majority of his fellow humans into mindless vicious...
. It is also mentioned as a nearby town in King's novel "Under the Dome" - The importance of 19, a number of talismanic power in The Dark Tower series, is introduced here.
- A woman Mike meets in the gym is said to be reading a book by Ellen Gilchrist; this is the maiden name of Ellen Rimbauer (Rose Red).
Reception
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction reviewer Charles de LintCharles de Lint
Charles de Lint is a Canadian fantasy author and folk musician. He is also the chief book critic for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction....
declared Bag of Bones to be "a powerful, moving novel." Elizabeth Hand praised it lavishly: "What is extraordinary here is how good the writing is. . . . The characterizations are plummy, the dialogue sharp, and even the ghosts play second fiddle to Mike Noonan and his genuinely anguished midlife crisis."
Awards
British Fantasy Award winner in 1999Bram Stoker Award
Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
winner for Best Novel in 1998
Audio version
The audio version of Bag of Bones is noteworthy in several respects. Like all Stephen King books, the audio version is unabridgedAbridgement
Abridgement or abridgment is a term defined as "shortening" or "condensing" and is most commonly used in reference to the act of reducing a written work, typically a book, into a shorter form...
. It is read by Stephen King himself, one of several books he has read himself for audio version publication, including Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King, all connected to one another by recurring characters and taking place in roughly chronological order....
, Lunch at the Gotham Cafe
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe is a short story by Stephen King. It originally appeared in the 1995 anthology Dark Love . In 1997, it was published in the limited-edition collection Six Stories...
, and In the Deathroom
In the Deathroom
In the Deathroom is a short story by Stephen King. Originally, it appeared in the 1999 audiobook Blood and Smoke. In 2000, it was first published in written form in Secret Windows...
. Intermingled with the text are bits of music and a song sung by Sara Tidwell; this music and song were recorded specifically for the audio version of Bag of Bones. Finally, the audio version of this book includes an interview with Stephen King.
Tenth Anniversary Edition
A trade paperback edition was published in the fall of 2008, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the novel's release in 1998. It contained a Q&A with Stephen King, along with "The Cat from HellThe Cat from Hell
The Cat from Hell is a short story by Stephen King. King initially published the first 500 words of the story in March 1977 in Cavalier, and the magazine held a contest for readers to finish the story. The winning entry, as well as King's complete story, was published in the magazine in June of...
", a short story from his then-upcoming collection Just After Sunset
Just After Sunset
Just After Sunset is the fifth collection of short stories by Stephen King. It was released in hardcover by Scribner on November 11, 2008, and features a holographic dust jacket. On February 6, 2008, the author's official website revealed the title of the collection to be Just Past Sunset. About a...
.
Film adaption
A film directed by Mick GarrisMick Garris
Mick Garris is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California.-Biography:He is best known for his adaptations of Stephen King stories, such as directing the horror film Sleepwalkers starring Madchen Amick and is the creator of the Showtime series Masters of Horror...
and written by screenwriter Matt Venne is in pre-production. The filmmakers had been hoping to shoot the film in Maine, but due to the failure of a proposed tax incentive in June, they are now far less likely to do so. Michigan was likely to be the next place to shoot, however filming is now set to start in Nova Scotia, Canada in August 2011.
A new report added that the project will be made into a four-hour miniseries to be aired on A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, and that Irish actor Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
would take the lead role of Mike Noonan, with Broadway actress Anika Noni Rose
Anika Noni Rose
Anika Noni Rose is an American singer and actress known for her Tony Award winning performance in the Broadway production of Caroline, or Change and her starring roles in the films Dreamgirls and The Princess and the Frog....
taking the role of Sara Tidwell.
External links
- Stephen King's official website
- The film's official MySpace profile
- Bag of Bones at Worlds Without End