Duma KeyBook By Stephen King

Published By Pocket Books (A Division of

Simon and Schuster)Published in 2008

Michael Casper Block 4A10/2/12

• After a crane crushed his truck and left him with a missing right arm and a divorce, Edgar Freemantle was ready to die

• His psychologist suggested to Edgar to move somewhere distant from his present life to cope with his physical and mental disabilities

• So Edgar left, ending up on Duma Key, a small island off the coast of Florida in a large pink house over looking the gulf

• On Duma, Edgar finds a new friend, Wireman, the caretaker of elderly Elizabeth Eastlake, who owns the island

• Edgar begins to paint, a talent he had never noticed before

• But his paintings have a dark secret, a secret that brings him, Wireman, and Elizabeth together in a way they could never imagine

The ProtagonistEdgar Freemantle-A man coping with a missing right arm, raging anger, and memory loss. For his therapy, he moves to a small island off the coast of Florida. There he begins to paint, something he had never dreamt of doing. But his painting opens up secrets hidden deep on the island.

The Antagonist

• Perse-Perse is a force that haunts Edgar’s mind, and becomes a constant subject in his paintings. She is a soulless creature, residing on a ship of the dead, and watches Edgar throughout the story, even when he is unaware. But Perse also has secrets of her own, and has a past on the island even before Edgar was born.

Central Conflict• Edgar must cope with a “mixed

up” memory, raging anger flashes, a divorce from his wife, and constant pain surges from his missing arm.

• But above all, he must fight against Perse, an evil being striving to steal away Edgar’s life. But he fights back, with the help of Wireman and Elizabeth. But can he fight back without losing the ones he loves?

Minor Characters• Jerome Wireman-A washed up lawyer who gave up his former life to help Elizabeth Eastlake in her elderly age. He becomes a constant companion to Edgar, and also has secrets hidden in the past that bring him to Duma

• Elizabeth Eastlake-A former patron of the arts, now an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's. A multi-millionaire’s daughter who now owns Duma Key, she also has secrets in her past, secrets that keep her on Duma.

• Jack Cantori-A college student who is hired to help Edgar when needed. Although at first he serves a minor role, as the story grows, he becomes even more important to Edgar.

• Isle Freemantle-Edgar’s (favorite) daughter. She encourages him to begin his painting, and later urges him to sell his paintings at an art gallery. She also provides inspiration for Edgar.

What Critics Said…

“Duma Key is a terrifying book about friendship and the random events that make life what it is.”- Ali Karim

Review | Duma Key by Stephen King

“It's a book that denies you the option of putting it down, which, as we all know, is King's great skill.”- Adam Roberts

Strange Horizons Reviews: Duma Key by Stephen King, reviewed by Adam Roberts

What I Say…In my opinion, the novel was

extremely mesmerizing. I was constantly wanting to read it, and when I did, I slipped away into Edgar’s world. I'm glad there wasn’t a fire going on anytime I was reading, because I would have never noticed. The book threw me through twists and turns that left me yelling at my family and friends, even though they had no idea why. I would recommend it to everyone I know.