Like, I get that he's not the same, he's smelly and a bit mean and it's creepy and uncanny and horrifying. But this situation is entirely of Louis' own making, he is responsible, not Church. And obviously irl I (sincerely hope!) I will never be in this situation but I still can't imagine treating an animal I'm responsible for in this way. (Also, knowing how he felt about Church and considering what transpires later, this book could easily be alternately titled Louis Creed makes a series of increasingly poor, fully suicidal decisions even though he absolutely knows better. Though it's a lot less snappy than Pet Sematary 🤣)

I'm loving the reread though. I remember finding the book genuinely frightening, and agreeing with King that it was by far the most frightening of his books, but I wouldn't have said it was one of my favourites among SK books. But I dunno, I'm really appreciating it so much more this time (approx 15 years after I last read it, I was in drug rehab and everyone borrowed my copy, which ended up literally falling apart - TBF it was a very old and battered copy to start with). That chapter where >! Louis and Jud take Church to the Micmac burial ground!< is an absolute masterpiece of atmosphere and imagery, I could see it all so vividly and feel the dread and sense of doom settling in. I stayed up till 4 am finishing that chapter cos I just couldn't look away and I was just struck anew that the man's a genius. Not a new thought for me but it vividly came back reading that.

Anyway tl/Dr 🤣 what are your thoughts? Is Louis being a callous dick to Church or do you understand his revulsion? Or a bit of both?

Does anyone else find Louis' behaviour after >!Church comes back!< to be quite callous?