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{{Infobox book <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name = Cujo
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = Cujo (1981) front cover, first edition.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = First edition cover
| author = [[Stephen King]]
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| genre = [[Horror fiction|Horror]]
| publisher = [[Viking Press]]
| release_date = September 8, 1981
| media_type = [[Printing|Print]] ([[hardcover]])
| pages = 319
| isbn = 978-0-670-45193-7
| followed_by = [[Rattlesnakes (novella)|Rattlesnakes]]
| set_in = [[Castle Rock, Maine]]
}}

'''''Cujo''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|uː|dʒ|oʊ}}) is a 1981 [[Horror fiction|horror]] [[novel]] by American writer [[Stephen King]] about a [[St. Bernard (dog)|Saint Bernard]] who contracts [[rabies]], then goes on a killing spree in his hometown. The novel won the [[British Fantasy Award]] in 1982<ref name="WWE-1982">{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1982
| title = 1982 Award Winners & Nominees
| work = Worlds Without End
| access-date = July 22, 2009
| archive-date = April 4, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160404161525/https://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?Year=1982
| url-status = live
}}</ref> and was made into a [[Cujo (film)|film]] in 1983. Cujo's name was based on the alias of [[Willie Wolfe]], one of the men responsible for orchestrating [[Patty Hearst]]'s kidnapping and indoctrination into the [[Symbionese Liberation Army]].<ref>March 1, 1976. ''Patty's Long Ordeal on the Stand'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20081220125406/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918106-1,00.html] Time.com</ref><ref>August 14, 1981. ''Cujo: New York Times Book Review'' [https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/09/lifetimes/king-r-cujo.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509080644/http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/09/lifetimes/king-r-cujo.html|date=May 9, 2017}} New York Times.com</ref> King discusses ''Cujo'' in ''[[On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft|On Writing]]'', referring to it as a novel he "barely remembers writing at all." King wrote the book during the height of his struggle with alcohol addiction. King goes on to say he likes the book and wishes he could remember enjoying the good parts as he put them on the page.<ref>[[Stephen King|King, Stephen]]. ''On Writing'', page 73, [[Hodder & Stoughton]], 2000, {{ISBN|978-0-340-82046-9}}</ref>

==Background==

According to King, the novel was partly inspired by his trip to a mechanic during the spring of 1977.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Stephen King: A Biography|last=Rolls|first=Albert|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2008|isbn=978-0313345739|pages=34}}</ref> In a 2006 interview with ''The Paris Review'', King describes how issues with his motorcycle led him to visit an auto shop on the northern outskirts of [[Bridgton, Maine]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/5653/stephen-king-the-art-of-fiction-no-189-stephen-king|title=Stephen King, The Art of Fiction No. 189|last=Rich|first=Interviewed by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt and Nathaniel|date=2006|work=The Paris Review|access-date=May 2, 2018|issue=178|volume=Fall 2006|language=en|issn=0031-2037|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929071236/https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/5653/stephen-king-the-art-of-fiction-no-189-stephen-king|url-status=live}}</ref> He claims his motorcycle died when he arrived at the shop, and moments after, a [[St. Bernard (dog)|Saint Bernard]] emerged from the garage, growling at him and eventually lunging for his hand.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://stephenking.com/library/novel/cujo_inspiration.html|title=StephenKing.com - Cujo Inspiration|website=stephenking.com|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505134834/https://stephenking.com/library/novel/cujo_inspiration.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Although the mechanic stopped the dog from harming King by hitting the dog's hindquarters with a wrench, King was still startled by the encounter.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> This incident, as well as a story published in a [[Portland, Maine]], newspaper about a young child who was killed by a Saint Bernard, provided inspiration for the novel.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> King also owned a dysfunctional [[Ford Pinto]] at the time, which is the same car model the novel's protagonist, Donna Trenton, drives to the auto garage where she encounters the rabid Cujo.<ref name=":1" />

==Plot==
In 1977, the middle-class Trentons move from [[New York City]] to [[Castle Rock (Stephen King)|Castle Rock]], [[Maine]]. In the summer of 1980, Vic learns that Donna has recently had an affair with local tennis player Steve Kemp. In the midst of this household tension, Vic's advertising agency is failing due to a scandal over a cereal. Vic is forced to go on a business trip, leaving Donna and their son, four-year-old Tad, at home alone.

Joe Camber is a blue-collar mechanic who abuses his wife, Charity, and their ten-year-old son, Brett. Charity wins a $5,000 ({{Inflation|US|5000|1981|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) lottery prize and uses the proceeds to bargain with Joe to allow her to take Brett on a trip to visit Charity's sister in [[Connecticut]] and show him the possibility of a better life. Joe agrees and secretly plans to take a pleasure trip to [[Boston]] with his friend Gary Pervier, an alcoholic war veteran.

The Cambers' dog Cujo, a large, good-natured [[St. Bernard (dog)|Saint Bernard]], chases a rabbit in the nearby wilderness and inserts his head in a small cave. A [[bat]] bites him on the nose and infects him with [[rabies]], against which Cujo has not been [[Rabies vaccine|vaccinated]]. Cujo enters the [[prodromal]] phase, becoming lethargic and irritable. After Charity and Brett leave town, Cujo kills Joe and Gary.

Donna, with Tad, takes their failing [[Ford Pinto]] to Joe's house for repairs. The car breaks down in the Cambers' dooryard, and as Donna attempts to find Joe, Cujo attacks her. She gets back into the car but becomes trapped when Cujo continues to attack them. The interior of the car becomes increasingly hot in the summer sun. During one escape attempt, Donna is bitten in the stomach and leg but manages to escape back into the car. Tad becomes catatonic with fear and begins to have [[seizure]]s.

Steve goes to the Trenton home to attack Donna after she ends their affair and ransacks the empty house. Vic returns to Castle Rock after failed attempts to contact his wife. The police suspect Steve of kidnapping Donna and Tad. Sheriff George Bannerman is sent to the Cambers' house, but Cujo attacks and kills him. After witnessing the attack and realizing Tad is in danger of dying of [[dehydration]], Donna battles the weakened Cujo, with the animal seemingly winning before she bludgeons and stabs him in the head with the remains of the baseball bat. Cujo slumps over, dead.

Vic arrives as the fight ends, but Tad has already died from dehydration and [[Heat stroke|heatstroke]]. A veterinarian performs a necropsy on Cujo to check for rabies prior to the cremation of his remains. Charity receives a phone call speaking about the deaths of Tad and her husband due to Cujo's rampage.

Several months later, the Trenton and Camber families are trying to move on. Donna completed her treatment for rabies, and her injuries healed. The Trentons' marriage has survived, as well as Vic's business, and they mourn Tad together. Charity, now working in order to support herself and Brett, gives her son a new, vaccinated puppy. In [[postscript]], it is said that the hole Cujo chased the rabbit into was never discovered, and the bats abandoned it. It also reiterates to the reader that Cujo was a good dog who always tried to keep his owners happy, but the ravage of rabies drove him to violence.

== Characters ==
* '''Cujo''': a friendly Saint Bernard that becomes murderous after contracting rabies from a bat bite.
* '''Donna Trenton''': wife of Vic Trenton. She becomes trapped in the car after arriving at the auto shop where Cujo lurks.
* '''Vic Trenton''': Donna's husband. He is on a work-related trip when his wife and son encounter Cujo at the Camber auto shop.
* '''Tad Trenton''': son of Donna and Vic. He becomes trapped in the car with Donna at the auto shop.
* '''Gary Pervier''': the next-door neighbor and poker buddy of Joe Camber. A sixty-year-old [[World War Two|WW2]] army veteran and an alcoholic. He is the second victim of Cujo.
* '''Joe Camber''': mechanic and owner of the auto shop where Donna and Tad encounter Cujo. Owner of Cujo and first victim.
* '''Charity Camber''': wife of Joe Camber. She and her son leave Cujo behind while on a trip to visit Charity's sister.
* '''Brett Camber''': son of Joe and Charity.
* '''Frank Dodd''': a former Castle Rock police officer who was discovered to be the "Castle Rock Strangler", a serial killer traumatizing Castle Rock during the 1970s (see ''[[The Dead Zone (novel)#Plot summary|The Dead Zone]]''). ''Cujo'' makes many references to Dodd throughout the story.
* '''George Bannerman''': the current Castle Rock sheriff. He once worked with Dodd and discovered Dodd's guilt in the Castle Rock murders. He is killed by Cujo in his attempt to save Donna and Tad.
* '''Steve Kemp''': The man with whom Donna has had an affair. He breaks into and vandalizes Donna's house after learning she wants to end the affair.
* '''Roger Breakstone''': Vic's friend and business partner. He accompanies Vic on his work-related trip.

==Critical reception==
Upon its initial release in 1981, the novel earned and maintained a high position on bestseller lists in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/09/lifetimes/kin-v-behindbest.html?mcubz=3|title=Behind the Best Sellers|last=McDowell|first=Edwin|date=September 27, 1981|website=New York Times}}</ref> Some critics have criticized the novel for its ending.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/09/lifetimes/king-r-cujo.html|title=Cujo: New York Times Book Review|last=Lehmann-Haupt|first=Christopher|date=August 14, 1981|website=New York Times|access-date=May 4, 2018|archive-date=August 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811083244/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/09/lifetimes/king-r-cujo.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King|last=Rogak|first=Lisa|publisher=Macmillan|year=2010|isbn=978-1429987974}}</ref> The [[Cujo (film)|1983 film adaptation]] of the novel featured a more optimistic conclusion. ''Cujo'' received the following accolades:

* Locus Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Novel (1982)
* [[Balrog Award]] Nominee for Best Novel (1982)
* British Fantasy Award for Best Novel (August Derleth Fantasy Award) (1982)

According to the American Library Association, ''Cujo'' was the 49th most banned and challenged book in the United States between 1990 and 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Office of Intellectual Freedom|date=March 26, 2013|title=100 most frequently challenged books: 1990-1999|url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade1999|access-date=June 19, 2021|website=American Library Association|language=en|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010162859/http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade1999|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Adaptations ==
=== ''Cujo'' (1983) ===
{{Main|Cujo (film)}}
'''''Cujo''''' is a 1983 American horror film directed by [[Lewis Teague]]. It follows a mostly similar plot to the original novel, albeit Tad surviving contrary to his death in the novel. It was written for the screen by Don Carlos Dunaway and [[Barbara Turner (actress)|Barbara Turner]].<ref name=Fangoria-Cujo-2016>{{cite news|last1=Gingold|first1=Michael|title=RIP "Cujo" scripter Barbara Turner|url=http://www.fangoria.com/new/rip-cujo-scripter-barbara-turner|access-date=April 28, 2016|work=[[Fangoria]]|date=April 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416153830/http://www.fangoria.com/new/rip-cujo-scripter-barbara-turner/|archive-date=April 16, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="AllRovi">{{cite web|url=http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/cujo-v11741|title=Cujo - Cast & Crew|website=[[AllRovi]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116170255/http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/cujo-v11741|archive-date=January 16, 2013|access-date=March 6, 2012}}</ref>

=== ''C.U.J.O'' ===
In 2015, [[Sunn Classic Pictures]] announced that it would develop another adaptation titled ''C.U.J.O.'', which stands for "Canine Unit Joint Operations".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3351621/stephen-kings-cujo-gets-remade-c-u-j-o/|title=Stephen King's 'Cujo' Remake Title Gets Rabies: 'C.U.J.O.'|last=Miska|first=Brad|date=July 6, 2015|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=July 7, 2015|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503212050/https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3351621/stephen-kings-cujo-gets-remade-c-u-j-o/|url-status=live}}</ref> Nothing came of it after its announcement.

=== ''Cujo'' (TBA) ===
On March 11, 2025, [[Netflix]] announced they were developing a new adaptation/remake of the 1983 film with [[Roy Lee]] serving as producer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Netflix Sets Remake of Stephen King's 'Cujo' |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |work=Variety |date= |access-date=March 11, 2025 |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/cujo-remake-netflix-stephen-king-1236334641/ |quote= |archive-date=March 12, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312004843/https://variety.com/2025/film/news/cujo-remake-netflix-stephen-king-1236334641/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stephen King's 'Cujo' Still Has Bite; Netflix Sets Movie Deal For Classic Thriller Novel |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |work=Deadline |date= |access-date=March 11, 2025 |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/stephen-king-cujo-netflix-movie-deal-1236323398/ |quote= |archive-date=March 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311211830/https://deadline.com/2025/03/stephen-king-cujo-netflix-movie-deal-1236323398/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On March 18, 2025, [[Darren Aronofsky]] was revealed to be in talks to direct.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gomez |first1=Dessi |title=Darren Aronofsky Circling To Direct 'Cujo' Adaptation For Netflix |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/darren-aronofsky-circling-cujo-film-netflix-1236329731/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=March 18, 2025 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |archive-date=March 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319000923/https://deadline.com/2025/03/darren-aronofsky-circling-cujo-film-netflix-1236329731/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Allusions and connections to other King novels ==

* There are allusions to ''Cujo'' in King's other works, which often reference the Saint Bernard and refer generally to the incident of the summer of 1980 when the rabid dog killed four people in Castle Rock, Maine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/02/rereading-stephen-king-cujo|title=Rereading Stephen King: week 11 – Cujo|last=Smythe|first=James|date=November 2, 2012|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=May 2, 2018}}</ref>
* On the official Stephen King website, Cujo is listed as a character in numerous other novels, including ''[[Needful Things]]'', ''[[The Body (King novella)|The Body]]'', ''[[The Dark Half]]'' and ''[[Pet Sematary]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/needful_things_characters.html|title=StephenKing.com - Needful Things Characters|website=www.stephenking.com|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505070449/https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/needful_things_characters.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/dark_half_the_characters.html|title=StephenKing.com - The Dark Half Characters|website=www.stephenking.com|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505070014/https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/dark_half_the_characters.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/pet_sematary_characters.html|title=StephenKing.com - Pet Sematary Characters|website=www.stephenking.com|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505070749/https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/pet_sematary_characters.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* King's 2024 collection, ''[[You Like It Darker]]'', contains the story ''[[Rattlesnakes (novella)|Rattlesnakes]]'', described by King as a sequel to ''Cujo''. It is told in the [[first-person narrative|first person]] with Vic Trenton as narrator.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/books/stephen-king-cujo-sequel-you-like-it-darker/|title=Read the start of Stephen King's Cujo sequel in excerpt from story collection, You Like It Darker|author=Clark Collis|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=November 6, 2023|access-date=November 7, 2023|archive-date=November 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107003621/https://ew.com/books/stephen-king-cujo-sequel-you-like-it-darker/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/cujo.html Stephen King.com: ''Cujo'']

{{Stephen King}}
{{Subject bar|portal1=1980s|portal2=Dogs|portal3=Horror|portal4=Novels|portal5=United States|portal6=Maine|portal7=Viruses|commons=y|d=y}}


[[Category:1981 American novels]]
[[Category:1980s horror novels]]
[[Category:American horror novels]]
[[Category:Third-person narrative novels]]
[[Category:Novels set in Maine]]
[[Category:Novels set in 1980]]
[[Category:Novels set in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Novels about infidelity]]
[[Category:Novels about mental health]]
[[Category:Novels about dogs]]
[[Category:Rabies in popular culture]]
[[Category:American novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Horror novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Novels by Stephen King]]
[[Category:English-language novels]]
[[Category:Viking Press books]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Cujo|access_date=2026-03-01}}