Book Review: JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King

JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King (Thorndike Press, November 2008)  Hardcover, large print, 609 pages.  ISBN: 1410410609 / 9781410410603

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .

Stephen King — who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one New York Times bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies  delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first since Everything's Eventual six years ago. 

As guest editor of the bestselling Best American Short Stories 2007, King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His renewed passion for the form is evident on every page of Just After Sunset. The stories in this collection have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Esquire, and other publications.

Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating  and then terrifying  journey. 

Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable  and resourceful  as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark. In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. 

For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.," which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.

Just After Sunset — call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.

My four-star review on the Goodreads website  . . . .

     I read this collection back in 2009 and rated it 3 stars on the former Shelfari book site. I'm re-reading it now in a different edition (large print), with a specific focus on studying the ways that King tells his stories. I'll comment on each story as I complete them. I began my re-read on Oct. 28.

     JUST AFTER SUNSET deserves FOUR STARS on second reading. There are only 3 stories that are just average or sub-par, 2 stories rank among King's best, and 7 are above average. I think the first time I read this collection I was anticipating some good horror stories as only King can tell them and was disappointed. There's not much pure horror here, just a collection that showcases the range and abilities of one of America's finest storytellers. Many are jealous of King's fame and fortune, but in my book the man has earned his stripes and then some. Here's a breakdown of the collection:

1) WILLA = On one level this is the story of a young man whose fiancee wanders off, just before they are departing a train from Wyoming to be married in San Francisco, and his search for her. The more interesting story concerns itself with the specific personalities of this couple and their worldview, considering their peculiar circumstances. I figured out what the twist was about ten pages in, but it only added to my enjoyment. This story would make a fine episode of Jordan Peele's new Twilight Zone series for CBS Access, or any version of that great show. I can imagine how Rod Serling's introductory narration would set the stage and then his summation after it ends. In fact I can hear Serling's wise inflections as he speaks the first sentence in that perfect tone of voice: "You don't see what's right in from of your eyes, she'd said, but sometimes he did." A good opening hook, and a FOUR STAR story.

2) GINGERBREAD GIRL = Emily is a great character, rebounding from a tragic loss, making a break with her current situation, and striking out anew. Running plays a big part in her new life and fuels her ambitions. While taking a break at her father's isolated shore cottage, she witnesses a crime and spends the rest of the story in survival mode. The pace is quick, despite the lengthy details that King provides. The section where Emily escapes her bonds is a classic of description. I really liked this one FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.

3) HARVEY'S DREAM. I did not get into this story. An elderly man, perhaps in the early stages of dementia, wakes up screaming from a nightmare and does his rambling best to relate the dream to his impatient wife. I was waiting for a punchline that never came. A generous TWO STARS.

4) REST STOP. A writer makes a late night stop at a highway rest area and overhears a spousal argument that turns abusive. He decides to intervene. King obtained the idea for this story from a real life observation and morphed that memory into this suspenseful tale. As always, he imbues the narrating character with enough detail to make us feel his anxiety and indecision before acting. A good one. FOUR STARS.

5) STATIONARY BIKE. A commercial artist gets some bad news from his doctor and decides to make dietary changes and start exercising as a result. He buys a stationary bike and installs it in the basement of his apartment building. But because he bores easily, he paints a mural on the concrete wall of a highway scene as well as a portrait of a construction crew (symbolic of lipid warriors inside his body fighting fat cells) to inspire him. He then envisions himself biking along this road and interacting with the crew, to which he assigns names and personalities. The division between reality and fantasy begins to blur. Points to King for taking an ordinary situation, and extrapolating that into something like this. What an imagination! If not for the ending which didn't entirely satisfy me, this would get five stars. FOUR STARS.

6) THE THINGS THEY LEFT BEHIND. This story was inspired by the events of 9-11 and was King's way of recognizing how this event changed everything. A worker in the World Trade Center called in sick on the day of the tragedy and now suffers from survivor guilt. King starts off with relating some creepy occurrences that disturb the main character, but as the story progresses it becomes sadder and sadder. A tearful reminder. FIVE STARS.

7) GRADUATION AFTERNOON begins as rich elite New Yorkers look down their nose at their teenage son's choice of girlfriend. Even a disaster fails to bring them closer together. This is more of a short slice-of-life piece than a complete story. In the story notes, King admits that there was a dream-like image in his mind that he wanted to describe and get on paper. That's about all that gets accomplished with this piece, although it's well written with good characters as always. TWO STARS.

8) N is my absolute favorite story of the collection, for two reasons: 1) It's an awesomely detailed homage to the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft and 2) It's an even more incredibly written and understanding example of the limiting effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder. FIVE STARS.

9) THE CAT FROM HELL is one of the older stories here, originally written for a mens' magazine. You can tell because it's much shorter and concise than typical King fare, and a great story as well. FOUR STARS.

10) THE NEW YORK TIMES AT SPECIAL BARGAIN RATES I guess King was stuck for a title for this one, a short slice-of-life about dealing with a loved one's departure. So he used the punch line that ends the story. Strong story, weak title that really has nothing to do with the contents. FOUR STARS.

11) MUTE is a powerful story as much about the importance or non-importance of religion and the confessional as it is a gripping tale of a mid-life crisis that leaves a guilty-feeling victim behind. FOUR STARS.

12) AYANA starts out strong as a compelling tale about some special healing powers but then meanders before an unsatisfactory ending. I expected King to do so much more with this subject matter. THREE STARS.

13) A VERY TIGHT PLACE is a very long but worthwhile exploration of two stubborn and like-minded Florida retirees feuding over a vacant spot of land on their island residence. It's notable for the vivid descriptions and way the protagonist manages to exit the shit storm raining down on him. FOUR STARS.