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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Domestic abuse depicted over decades; a murder; a death during a solar eclipse
Language
Very heavy
Extremely strong language; Dolores's Maine vernacular is uncensored throughout
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief references to sexual abuse of the protagonist's daughter
Substance Use
Barely any
Some drinking in the domestic setting
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The extreme psychological weight of decades of abuse and the decision to act; one of fiction's most honest portraits of a woman's life under violence
What this book is about
Dolores Claiborne Majors is being questioned about the death of her elderly employer, Vera Donovan. Dolores decides to tell the complete truth—including the truth about her husband Joe St. George's death thirty years ago. King's novel is an unbroken monologue in Maine dialect, delivering a portrait of a woman who has survived extraordinary abuse and made the most extreme choice available to her. One of King's most character-driven works.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Decades of domestic abuse depicted without softening
Sexual abuse of a child referenced
Extremely strong language throughout
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