My anger might be misdirected by I am still pissed (Revival Spoilers)

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bump&chelle

New Member
Nov 29, 2014
3
28
53
Mountain View, CA
First I find it ironic that I HAVE to post to a newbie page since I have been reading SK's books for 30+ years now. I have read just about everything Mr. King has written, well everything before the internet and almost all his books since. But, I digress. I am upset that "Revival" ends the way it does. I know SK does not give happy endings too often and I usually do not expect them. In truth, I usually hate them. They seem fake and phony. But for this book, this book about what happens after we die? Oh Mr. King I so did not need an ending so hopeless. You see I lost my dad in April of this year. My dad who was a mere 63. Who died about 3 weeks after finding out he had a tumor on his lung. A tumor they only went in to biopsy & possibly take part of a lung. After a surgery gone bad and paralyzed him from the chest down. A surgery that happened the day before I left for a trip to Belize that had been planned for 18 months. A trip he insisted I take but that I felt guilty for taking. His surgery was on Thursday, April 10th. I left on a red eye on April 11th. He died while I was out of the country on April 16th. He died 5 days before my 44th b-day. I know none of this matter to anyone reading this, message boarders and SK alike. I am writing this for me.

My love and addiction to SK's books came from my dad. When I was about 13 or 14 he tossed a paperback copy of "The Dead Zone" to me and told me to read it. I am not sure why he did that. Maybe he was tired of seeing me read teenage crap. Or he just saw how I plowed through books. Whatever it was, it doesn't matter. I struggled with it at first - all the jumping around from time line to time line. He told me to stick to it. In the end I was hooked. And with that one book my dad and I formed a bond that I didn't have with my mom and he didn't have with my brother. We both loved to read. And through the years we would buy each other SK's books. We read other authors of course, but our thing was always SK's books. It was our thing, like it is so many others.

I preordered "Revival" as well as "Mr. Mercedes" on Amazon. I don't remember if this was before or after he died. I got "Mr. Mercedes" sometime in May and barely remember reading it. I was still in such shock from daddy's death. But when "Revival" showed up, I was torn. To read it or not. I had only started to really accept his passing. The 6 month date of his passing hit me hard. On 11/12/14 I wrote a dedication to him in the book before I started reading it. I won't share that with you. I just hoped that he would be reading it with me.

Once I started reading and I got to the part of when Charlie lost his family, I had to stop. You see, I had a crisis of faith or whatever you call it. I broke down. I asked my husband "what if THIS is it? What if there is nothing else? What if I never see my dad again?" It was more than I could stand. I was not raised overly religious. Dad taught us the Golden Rule and that was good enough. I was baptized Lutheran and raised "light Christian" but mom and day left it up to us to figure out what we believed in. Until my dad died I always believed in some type of after life. That "something happens." I thought I felt it after my grandma died. And then when my grandpa died I "felt" that they were together & moved on. Since dad? Nothing. A vast nothing. It is so vast I feel like I might drown in it.

So tonight, just before I started this rant, I finished "Revival." And I am upset. I know it isn't real. Please don't comment on that. But as I was finishing the end of a book ,by an author that connects me to one of the most important people in my life, I was hoping for that bs happy ending. Silly, I know. I even highlighted a few lines in the book from page 367. "I want to know what the universe has in store for all of us once this life is over,.." and ...."if she still exist somewhere?" Oh these are the thoughts I think all day every day.

If you have stuck through this rant and self-therapy until the end, thank. I will still read SK's works. To not do so would dishonor one of his first and biggest fans, my dad. Not to mention I love his work too. On a side note, my mom has always wanted to see Maine, doesn't know why, but just does. I, too have always wanted to see Maine, even before I started reading SK's works. Taking my mom to Maine is on my list of things to do in the next few years. If Mr. King is around, I wouldn't mind asking him what he really thinks happens when he dies. And if I can find it, may sign that old paperback of "The Dead Zone." But mostly I would like to say thanks from Bump and Michelle for the stories.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
Have_a_cookie_by_Dannys_angel.jpg
...and yeppur, you're a Noob to the Board....so ya gots to pay the posting pig...
 

Sigmund

Waiting in Uber.
Jan 3, 2010
13,979
44,046
In your mirror.
First I find it ironic that I HAVE to post to a newbie page since I have been reading SK's books for 30+ years now. I have read just about everything Mr. King has written, well everything before the internet and almost all his books since. But, I digress. I am upset that "Revival" ends the way it does. I know SK does not give happy endings too often and I usually do not expect them. In truth, I usually hate them. They seem fake and phony. But for this book, this book about what happens after we die? Oh Mr. King I so did not need an ending so hopeless. You see I lost my dad in April of this year. My dad who was a mere 63. Who died about 3 weeks after finding out he had a tumor on his lung. A tumor they only went in to biopsy & possibly take part of a lung. After a surgery gone bad and paralyzed him from the chest down. A surgery that happened the day before I left for a trip to Belize that had been planned for 18 months. A trip he insisted I take but that I felt guilty for taking. His surgery was on Thursday, April 10th. I left on a red eye on April 11th. He died while I was out of the country on April 16th. He died 5 days before my 44th b-day. I know none of this matter to anyone reading this, message boarders and SK alike. I am writing this for me.

My love and addiction to SK's books came from my dad. When I was about 13 or 14 he tossed a paperback copy of "The Dead Zone" to me and told me to read it. I am not sure why he did that. Maybe he was tired of seeing me read teenage crap. Or he just saw how I plowed through books. Whatever it was, it doesn't matter. I struggled with it at first - all the jumping around from time line to time line. He told me to stick to it. In the end I was hooked. And with that one book my dad and I formed a bond that I didn't have with my mom and he didn't have with my brother. We both loved to read. And through the years we would buy each other SK's books. We read other authors of course, but our thing was always SK's books. It was our thing, like it is so many others.

I preordered "Revival" as well as "Mr. Mercedes" on Amazon. I don't remember if this was before or after he died. I got "Mr. Mercedes" sometime in May and barely remember reading it. I was still in such shock from daddy's death. But when "Revival" showed up, I was torn. To read it or not. I had only started to really accept his passing. The 6 month date of his passing hit me hard. On 11/12/14 I wrote a dedication to him in the book before I started reading it. I won't share that with you. I just hoped that he would be reading it with me.

Once I started reading and I got to the part of when Charlie lost his family, I had to stop. You see, I had a crisis of faith or whatever you call it. I broke down. I asked my husband "what if THIS is it? What if there is nothing else? What if I never see my dad again?" It was more than I could stand. I was not raised overly religious. Dad taught us the Golden Rule and that was good enough. I was baptized Lutheran and raised "light Christian" but mom and day left it up to us to figure out what we believed in. Until my dad died I always believed in some type of after life. That "something happens." I thought I felt it after my grandma died. And then when my grandpa died I "felt" that they were together & moved on. Since dad? Nothing. A vast nothing. It is so vast I feel like I might drown in it.

So tonight, just before I started this rant, I finished "Revival." And I am upset. I know it isn't real. Please don't comment on that. But as I was finishing the end of a book ,by an author that connects me to one of the most important people in my life, I was hoping for that bs happy ending. Silly, I know. I even highlighted a few lines in the book from page 367. "I want to know what the universe has in store for all of us once this life is over,.." and ...."if she still exist somewhere?" Oh these are the thoughts I think all day every day.

If you have stuck through this rant and self-therapy until the end, thank. I will still read SK's works. To not do so would dishonor one of his first and biggest fans, my dad. Not to mention I love his work too. On a side note, my mom has always wanted to see Maine, doesn't know why, but just does. I, too have always wanted to see Maine, even before I started reading SK's works. Taking my mom to Maine is on my list of things to do in the next few years. If Mr. King is around, I wouldn't mind asking him what he really thinks happens when he dies. And if I can find it, may sign that old paperback of "The Dead Zone." But mostly I would like to say thanks from Bump and Michelle for the stories.

You expressed a lot of feelings in your first post.

You have found the right place.

We are a tight knit community and we take care of our own.

Welcome.

Keep posting.

Peace.
 

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
46,336
195,472
79
Just north of Duma Key
Welcome to the family of the SKMB. I am sorry for the loss of your dad. It is wonderful that he introduced you to the works of SK. Happy endings...... I think we all desire them, but life is life. I hope you will continue to be part of the SKMB- have a look around, post in threads that interest you. Would like to hear more of your thoughts. May you find inner peace.
 

mjs9153

Peripherally known member..
Nov 21, 2014
3,494
22,165
Welcome..sorry for your loss,and understand your feelings.I know,for me,reading the book Pet Sematary was very difficult,and I tended to equate it with a loss I had.Silly,I know,but some of the similarities were there,and hard to deal with.I never read it again..that being said,when I read the dedication to Revival,and came to the ending,I took it as an homage to authors like Poe,and Bloch,and Lovecraft.Thanks,Flake,for that link to Rolling Stone,kinda figured that was where SK is in his personal beliefs,after reading the body of his work..anyhow,continue posting bump&chelle,hope you enjoy your time here.. :grinning:
 

jchanic

Well-Known Member
Jul 11, 2006
3,164
6,097
79
Cleveland Ohio
bump&chelle, I really feel your loss. I, too, was upset by the ending of the book. I've never had a crisis of faith (if anything, my faith has deepened after the loss of my parents) but I can easily understand your feelings.

Of course, isn't this just what a good book is supposed to do--affect us? King has certainly done this with Revival.

John
 

kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
30,011
127,446
Spokane, WA
Welcome. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We are a great bunch of folken here at the SKMB. If you're down, we'll help you get back up. I am sorry about the loss of your Dad. Hey, he read King so he had pretty good taste, right? He IS with you, especially while your reading King books. Keep posting!
 

Pogonip

Member
Nov 18, 2014
16
74
64
My sympathies for your loss. My mom died recently, however she was 85 and had been failing for some time so we had some time to get used to it, unlike with your dad's unexpected death. I myself took Revival as pure fiction, not as Mr. K's belief of what really happens.