Stephen Kings is a master at the top of his game.
Stephen King needs no introduction, but these days readers like to know what sub-King genre they’re getting into. It his new book in the Gunslinger universe? Standalone? Or is it that most popular of the Kingiverse – the short story collection? Stephen King has long been acknowledged for the quality and readability of his short fiction and he is one of the few authors outside of the hard SF and fantasy genres who regularly produce it.
Why? Because he’s good at it. If It Bleedsis a collection of four novellas (or ‘long stories’ according to the publisher) which are classic King. All are set in contemporary America. One is weird fiction, two are slanted to horror, and the fourth is a standalone story of the characters from King’s earlier novels Mr Mercedes and The Outsider.
First cab off the ranks is Mr Harrigan’s Phone. In true King style it starts slowly in a homey kind of way, as it tells the story of a boy who befriends an elderly man in rural Maine. The boy buys the old man an iPhone which, when the old man dies, is buried with him. Critics of King may well roll their eyes and say they’ve seen it before – a haunted iPhone? Isn’t this just King updating the story of the haunted camera from The Sun Dog? Well, no. There’s a fresh take here, because it’s not the old man pestering the boy…
The Life of Chuck defies categorisation. King plays with the timeline of the story, presenting it in three acts in reverse sequence, so the reader sees consequence before cause. Less supernatural than just plain odd, it is nonetheless written in King’s engaging style. It is one of his strangest stories however, and the reader may be forgiven for feeling confused.
If It Bleeds is the titular story and tells us of Holly Gibney and the Finders Keepers Detective Agency as she goes on the trail of another Outsider – this time one masquerading as a news reporter. This seems like an indulgence until King drops certain clues. We’ve met this Outsider before, and not in any Holly Gibney story…
The final story, Rat, has King returning to his home base – a story of a struggling author who heads into the deep woods to write The Great American Novel, something that has previously eluded him. His last attempt almost sent him mad. This attempt might too – but King keeps it ambiguous. Is it real? Is it psychosis? King leaves it up to the reader.
All four stories are good value, but at times the reader may feel that King is slipping. The giving of the iPhone in Mr Harrigan’s Phone for example, doesn’t ring true. These days you can’t just give someone a handset – it also needs a SIM, a service, and ongoing monthly bills. King doesn’t address this and the story is so otherwise grounded, that it is difficult to see these details being deliberately left out. Far easier to see King being given a handset himself and not really knowing the details (the advantages of being a millionaire novelist). The non-linear timeline of The Life of Chuck seems an indulgence, as though it is an expanded writing group exercise that would not, for any other author, see publication.
These are minor criticisms however. King’s genius lies in his prose and If It Bleeds(the entire book) showcases this in abundance. The reader will be drawn in and captivated the whole way through, as usual.
Reviewed by DC White
Distributed by: Hachette Australia
Released: April 2020
RRP: $32.99 trade paperback, $49.99 hardback, $16.99 eBook, $44.99 audiobook
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