“Everyone should have this, he thought, and perhaps, at the end, everyone does. Perhaps in their time of dying, everyone rises.”
Purchase on Amazon! $10 on Audio (Narrated by Stephen King) | $10 on Kindle | $12 Hardcover
Published: October 30, 2018
Pages: 160
My Copy Came From: Amazon
Read Via: Audiobook
My Like Level: 2 out of 5 Stars
Genre: Criticism & Theory, Literary, Supernatural
Book Synopsis from Amazon:
The latest from legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together—a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences.
Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.
In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face–including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.
My Thoughts:
I am a huge fan of Sir Stephen King, but not a fan of this short story. It was a nice attempt at trying to be an uplifting (pun intended) book, but it felt flat to me.
I think when King’s political views enter his writing as much as they do here, it really takes me out of the tale he’s telling and brings me back to reality. The negative things his characters say about the President in this book are likely the same things King has said himself on Twitter about our current Administration. It’s no secret how he feels about the President, and this book is basically a sounding board for all of this opinions. That’s fine that he feels that way, I would never say otherwise, but it makes this book feel like King is on his soapbox a bit trying to disguise his political statements as a short story. It didn’t fool me, and no amount of niceties and good feeling “moral of the story” moments could make up for the annoyance I felt while reading it.
Although I can’t wait to read what King has next, I hope it is more along the lines of his usual work that I love.
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Book It Forward 
I had similar feelings about this one. I’m inclined to agree with King politically, but even I found the politics in the book to stick out like a sore thumb. He’s not good at blending social commentary with story at all. It was also remarkably tone-deaf in the way the lesbian couple was written for someone who’s trying so hard to write a book instilled with progressive values. It was all just so blah.
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Right!? I totally agree that his writing from the perspective of the lesbian couple was all out of whack. Thank you for your thoughtful response. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
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