I already posted about the first two stories, but felt like making some concluding remarks now that I've finished. This is the 33rd book I've read by King, and while I might not put it in the top few of my favorites, I certainly enjoyed it.
I especially like a sentence from the afterword: "I have no quarrel with literary fiction, which usually concerns itself with extraordinary people in ordinary situations, but as both a reader and a writer, I am much more interested by ordinary people in extraordinary situations."
I agree, and I think this is why I like Stephen King's writing so much, especially books with writers as characters. Take 'Salem's Lot. Who has the task of battling the vampires? A trained assassin? A supergenius tech wizard? Nope. A writer and a kid. I like the characters in these stories. In "1922" it's a farmer, with maybe a bit more intelligence than necessary, as evidenced for his taste in literature. In "Big Driver" it's a cozy writer (as I've said many times, I love King's writer characters). In "Fair Extension" it's an assistant manager at a bank, and in "A Good Marriage" the main character is just a housewife. The exploration of how these people confront their situations, and the subtlety of the suspense are what makes these stories excellent.
"Fair Extension" was a shorter story than the rest, and an interesting study in revenge. I am sure very few of us have the gumption to murder someone we hated, but this story is interesting because of its passivity. Is there anyone you hate enough to allow evil to happen to them? The glee with which Streeter greets the misfortunes of his "friend" show he has the heart of a murderer, if not the balls to carry it out.
"A Good Marriage" has a more sympathetic character, dealing with an ordinary woman realizing that her seemingly ordinary husband was a murderer. I like how King mentions the BTK killer in the afterword...apparently there was a murderer whose wife had no clue as to his habits. It's frightening to think of how deep a double life could go, with those closest to them totally unaware. I think of the breakdown of my own parents marriage after 24 years. No murders (that I know of) but how well did they know each other? A lot must run beneath the surface in a long relationship like that for it to explode so suddenly as it did. I know this sort of thing makes me wary about opening up to anyone. Fascinating.
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2 comments:
Don't be afraid to open up. It is those hidden things that are destructive, not the open things. Like the BTK wife, I expect you had no clue to the underlying problems. Hopefully not murder...but maybe something disturbing, or that one of them couldn't live with any more for sanity's sake. Some parents try and shield their kids, for better or worse. The hidden stuff makes for a better storyline, and all the mental and psychological drama that goes with it...but that is the writer in me thinking. I agree with what you say about "real" characters. I find that truth is often stranger than fiction and a whole lot more interesting. But "truth" rarely gets written since the truth can either be painful to the writer or those around him or her, or skewed by different parties' perpectives. If you like King's stories where a writer is the character, try Lisey's Story if you haven't. I haven't seen you blog about it, but maybe I missed that one. I am not as much a King fan as you appear to be, but this book made me rank him among my favorite authors.
Thanks for the comment! Lisey's Story is indeed my favorite of Stephen King's books.
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