Thriller Annotations -- Dolores Claiborne
“In the end, it’s the bitches of the world who abide… and as for the dust bunnies: frig ya!” (King, 1992, p. 312).
Author: Stephen King
Title: Dolores Claiborne
Genre: Psychological thriller
Publication Date: November 1992
Number of Pages: 316
Geographical Setting: Little Tall Island, Maine
Time Period: 1945-1992
Series: N/A
Plot Summary:
Dolores Claiborne has been accused of killing her long-time, certified rich [redacted] employer Vera Donovan. As the Little Tall Island police and court stenographer settle in to take her statement, aware of the fact that she was previously accused of murdering her husband, Dolores right away reassures them that she did not in fact kill Vera. The entire novel takes place over the course of around two hours, with the titular character telling police her entire life story, including a recount of her tumultuous and abusive marriage to Joe St. George. Her mouthy and hilarious vernacular keeps readers of this psychological thriller pulled in, constantly asking, “Did she kill her boss?” Only when Dolores finishes up her police statement at the end of the novel do readers walk away with a few answers.
Elements of Thriller:
Disturbing tone – Dolores and her children have endured horribly traumatic experiences, including
abuse, which contributes to the overall tone. Despite Dolores' jabs and jokes while telling her story,
the novel is still dark overall.
Strong female character – Dolores is stubborn and quick-witted: “Do you think me killin’ my husband is the only thing the folks on this island have got to talk about?” (King, 1992, p. 5). Additionally, she has killed her husband, which adds to the overall suspenseful tone of the novel (did she kill her employer too?)
Fast-paced – The entire novel takes place over the course of about two hours. There are no chapters, making the book one long run-on story without breaks, thus never losing momentum. As Saricks points out in her article on thrillers,
“These are engrossing stories that pull readers in from the first few pages and keep them engrossed until the very end. They often take place in a short time frame, with the days, hours, or even minutes at the start of each chapter underlining the urgency. Even if the time frame is longer, they feel as if they move us along very quickly, faster than normal time” (Saricks, 2016).
Similar Authors and Works:
The three nonfiction works I chose all deal with strong-willed women in some capacity: be it women
committing crimes, women committing murder, or women having to deal with the mental deterioration
of a loved one (similar to Dolores having to watch Vera slowly become senile).
The three fiction books I chose are other thrillers that star women, with two of them dealing with family trauma and abusive relationships, things that Dolores deals with. All three have flawed characters, and The Turn of the Key even deals with a housekeeper.
3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: the True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House
Art Heist (2020) by Anthony Amore
Small Sacrifices (1987) by Ann Rule
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom
3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:
The Other Mother by Carol Goodman
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Just for Fun – Film Adaptation
Additionally, this novel was turned into a film starring Kathy Bates. This relates to Saricks’
statement on thriller books being cinematic and often made into movies (Saricks, 2016).
However, after finishing this novel and watching the film adaptation immediately after, I was not
impressed. The 1995 film adaptation shifts the focus from Dolores and Vera’s relationship to
Dolores and her daughter Selena’s relationship, something I did not think needed to be done.
In turn, the characterization of Vera in the film falls flat because it is not nearly as fleshed out as
King has her in the novel. Also, I am so sorry ahead of time, but the movie was missing an
extremely crucial scene that the novel had: the scene where Vera Donovan (in her old age)
decides to throw excrement all over her fancy room and on herself so that Dolores must clean it all up.
The movie was much more melodramatic than the novel and lacked all of the thriller elements that I
think King works hard to develop. If I had not read the book right before watching the movie
I might have enjoyed it more, but instead, I spent the whole time yelling at my TV that “that’s not
how it was in the book!”
References
King, S. (1992). Dolores Claiborne. Gallery Books.
Saricks, J. (2016, May 1). At leisure with Joyce Saricks: Suspenseful thrillers and thrilling suspense. Booklist. https://www.booklistonline.com/At-Leisure-with-Joyce-Saricks-Suspenseful-Thrillers-and-Thrilling-Suspense-Joyce-Saricks/pid=8153061
I haven’t read this one but I remember seeing the film adaptation years and years ago! I don’t remember a whole lot about it, just that Kathy Bates, Christopher Plummer, and a super young John C. Reilly were all in it. Thrillers definitely do seem to be really popular source material for film adaptations—Stephen King is definitely having a real moment lately for sure. If you’ve seen the film, do you think the adaptation does justice to King’s original work?
ReplyDeleteFor some reason when I copy pasted my annotations into the blog post it didn't format correctly and all of my thoughts on the film adaptation were not visible... You should be able to read them all now (hopefully). However, honestly, no. As its own thing, the movie is great, but comparing it to the book, it falls flat. A lot of the relationships King builds up in the book vanish in the movie. Quite disappointing.
DeleteOh awesome, I can see it now! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the film, this is such a cool addition to your annotation. Literary adaptations are one of my favorite film genres and I always enjoy comparing and contrasting original source material with the film version. I think a lot of film adaptations end up being pretty good in their own right, but really struggle to live up to the original literary source material. Too bad that’s the case with this one. Thanks again for sharing!
DeleteHi Megan! So first of all, I have never read a Stephen King novel because of the obvious- too scary for me and like you mention here, disturbing tones. I like light thrillers that make me a little scared but not all the way! Did the novel go deep into details with the murder of Vera? Just curious because I have never read intense murder scenes (if this has one). Our books seem similar in the sense of strong female characters killing their partners! It is always interesting to read that and why their characters do what they do.
ReplyDeleteHi Ramah! This novel was not gorey at all. The only things I would say to be wary of would be TW: incest, family trauma. Other than that, it's not overly graphic in the murder department :-)
DeleteThis is one of the few Stephen King novels I have not read and your annotation makes me want to pick it up! Your summary is fantastic and your elements and readalikes are great. Full points!
ReplyDelete