Gerald's Game

A woman handcuffed to a bed after her husband's fatal heart attack must escape before her own mind — and a real intruder — destroy her.

Gerald's Game is a 1992 suspense novel by American writer Stephen King. The story is about a woman whose husband dies of a heart attack while she is handcuffed to a bed, and, following the subsequent realization that she is trapped with little hope of rescue, begins to let the voices inside her head take over. The book is dedicated to King's wife Tabitha and her five sisters. Originally, the book was intended to be a companion piece to King's novel Dolores Claiborne, with the connecting theme of two women in crisis caught in the path of an eclipse, though this aspect was greatly reduced by the time the books were published.

Quick Facts

Author: Stephen King
Cover artist: Rob Wood
Illustrator: Bill Russell
Country: United States
Language: English
Genre: Suspense, Psychological horror
Publisher: Viking
Released: May 1992

Lore & Background

The story follows Jessie Burlingame and her husband Gerald, a successful lawyer, who travel from Portland to their secluded lake house in western Maine near Kashwakamak Lake for a spontaneous romantic getaway. The titular "game" involves handcuffing Jessie to the bedposts during sex, a new practice that Jessie only pretends to enjoy. This time, Jessie finds herself reluctant after being handcuffed and asks to stop. She is ignored by Gerald, who pretends her protests are only part of their game. Realizing her husband intends to rape her, Jessie lashes out, kicking Gerald in the stomach and groin. The shock causes him to have a fatal heart attack, leaving Jessie handcuffed to the bed. While trapped, Jessie hallucinates voices: "The Goodwife" or "Goody Burlingame," a Puritanical version of herself; "Punkin," a representation of Jessie as a 10-year-old girl; Ruth Neary, a college roommate; and Nora, Jessie's former psychologist. Guided by these voices, Jessie recalls a long-repressed memory of being sexually abused by her father during a solar eclipse when she was ten. She also remembers a momentary psychic connection with an unknown woman (Dolores Claiborne). Later, Jessie sees a tall, gaunt apparition she nicknames "Space Cowboy" (after a 1969 Steve Miller song), who shows her a wicker basket of jewelry mixed with human bones.

Reader's Guide

Published in 1992, Gerald's Game is a suspense novel by Stephen King. The book was adapted into a 2017 film directed by Mike Flanagan. In May 2014, Deadline Hollywood reported that Flanagan had been set to direct. In an interview with Rue Morgue in September 2016, Flanagan said the film adaptation would premiere on Netflix. In October 2016, Deadline reported that Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood would star as Jessie and Gerald Burlingame. On October 17, 2016, Flanagan tweeted indicating the first day of production had begun. The film premiered on Netflix on September 29, 2017. The novel is dedicated to King's wife Tabitha and her five sisters. Originally intended as a companion piece to Dolores Claiborne, the connecting theme of two women in crisis caught in the path of an eclipse was greatly reduced by the time the books were published.