Submitted by Zooey  (Mar 21, 2006)What makes Salem's Lot so frightening aren't the vampires, strangely enough. For me, it is King's portrayal of the deep secrets that lurk behind small-town America. Behind every closed door and smiling neighbor lies something dark, strange, and often, cruel. King's description of all this takes place long before the vampires ever hit the scene.
Intially, one feels King has a strong sense of the characters who people Salem's Lot. However, by book's end, I feel there is something lacking in his portrayals. True, we know their fears, addictions, ghosts, and early memories, but I don't feel their souls as I think I should. It's like reading a questionnaire about someone - you may know the answers, but it still doesn't give you a person's soul.
Salem's Lot is a page-turner and King should be applauded for that. But, it doesn't stay with me ultimately because it lacks depth in human feeling.
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