Nice and sad story. To me it was obvious that
the mortuary owner was the real killer - dumb sheriff...
A Death (spoilers)
- Thread starter Boni
- Start date
-
This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.
That's what makes this a delightful story--I have no idea what really happened on first reading 
I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
I didn't catch the Q&A the first go round--thanks, Bev.
Anyone read the new short story "A Death" yet? Curious if it is supernatural or not, or if it is non-supernatural horror. Also, any opinions would be interesting. I sometimes dislike reading long works on line (not always, though).
It's not supernatural at all. It's not a "typical" horror story either. It's not that long.
“A Death” - The New Yorker
John
“A Death” - The New Yorker
John
Was just reading it now...
I'll get back to you.Thanks for the replies. I await FNoir's opinion. What did you think of it, John?
Excellent story. Another chapter later maybe Mr. King?
I liked it. The twist at the end was unexpected.
John
John
Still reading... (in between moderation
)
Just finished, great story! And the end got me too.. though, Lepplady had an interesting question in the Cantina, I didn't think of that.
Boy, he's good isn't he... this Stephen fella?
Boy, he's good isn't he... this Stephen fella?
Oops, I've just found another thread on this story from earlier today, so will merge the two threads, Rrty.
Do I see some foreshadowing of the ending???
On the night before the execution, the weather cleared. Sheriff Barclay told Trusdale he could have anything he wanted for dinner. Trusdale asked for steak and eggs, with home fries on the side soaked in gravy. Barclay paid for it out of his own pocket, then sat at his desk cleaning his fingernails and listening to the steady clink of Trusdale’s knife and fork on the china plate. When it stopped, he went in. Trusdale was sitting on his bunk. His plate was so clean Barclay figured he must have lapped up the last of the gravy like a dog. He was crying.
“Something just come to me,” Trusdale said.
“What’s that, Jim?”
“If they hang me tomorrow morning, I’ll go into my grave with steak and eggs still in my belly. It won’t have no chance to work through.”
For a moment, Barclay said nothing. He was horrified not by the image but because Trusdale had thought of it. Then he said, “Wipe your nose.”
“Something just come to me,” Trusdale said.
“What’s that, Jim?”
“If they hang me tomorrow morning, I’ll go into my grave with steak and eggs still in my belly. It won’t have no chance to work through.”
For a moment, Barclay said nothing. He was horrified not by the image but because Trusdale had thought of it. Then he said, “Wipe your nose.”
Wow, you guys have got me. I have to read this now. Will try to do so soon...thanks for the feedback.
Okay, I just finished A Death. Hooked me from the beginning; writing, as always, great.
However, overall, because of the ending, specifically the concept of the ending and the solution to the story, if you will, I can honestly say I did not like the story. In the least.
Did you other guys really like it? I remember seeing Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace with some friends -- younger than me -- and I distinctly recall not liking the film, but not wanting to say anything because there was such a buildup to the movie event, including the buildup of all of us going to see it, that I didn't want to ruin it for them. Friends my own age who grew up with Star Wars would have been easier to commiserate with in terms of how disappointing that film was, but if I had said such a sentiment to this particular group, I felt that they would turn on me because of where they were in their life-stage (hopefully that makes sense and you understand what I mean). Nevertheless, as they said they liked it, I knew they didn't, it was written on their faces. And then, as you can imagine, they eventually said they didn't really like it.
I am under no circumstance suggesting people are lying; not at all. I just relate that anecdote to imply that maybe there is such pressure to like a new King story that we may kid ourselves about it. Quite honestly, this was not a good story, it was not clever, at some point I figured the twist out (and hoped that it wasn't the twist), and hoped there would be a second twist. (The idea that Boni proposed, whether in jest or not, would have been a better way to end the tale, although it wouldn't have saved it.) I probably thought of the ending only because the thread here said there would be a twist, so I was on the lookout; otherwise, I wouldn't have seen it coming, I'm pretty sure (my mind just doesn't work swiftly like that in most cases while I am reading a narrative or viewing a film).
Well, I hope the other stories in the collection that will be released later this year are better. A Death was no The Jaunt. Or Quitters, Inc. Or Everything's Eventual. A Death didn't really say anything, it had no commercial hook, it wasn't fun, the ending was inelegant, and because of this, because the engine of the tale had no creative oil running through the pistons, it seized up on me and ground to a halt. I may contradict myself a bit by saying I loved the pacing and the expression of the plot, but in most short stories, it is the concept that is important, the idea behind it, no matter whether it appears at the beginning, the end, or somewhere in the middle. That is the oil that lubricates the gears of entertainment value; the oil used here was stale, solid, ineffective. There was no entertainment value. This never would have been published by The New Yorker without a name like King's attached.
Would love to know Bev Vincent's opinion on the story, but I could understand him not wanting to reply to such a request. He might want to write about it later, but I would just like either confirmation or denial of the following line of thought: this just wasn't King at his finest (and he is, and always will be, a fine writer, this story notwithstanding).
However, overall, because of the ending, specifically the concept of the ending and the solution to the story, if you will, I can honestly say I did not like the story. In the least.
Did you other guys really like it? I remember seeing Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace with some friends -- younger than me -- and I distinctly recall not liking the film, but not wanting to say anything because there was such a buildup to the movie event, including the buildup of all of us going to see it, that I didn't want to ruin it for them. Friends my own age who grew up with Star Wars would have been easier to commiserate with in terms of how disappointing that film was, but if I had said such a sentiment to this particular group, I felt that they would turn on me because of where they were in their life-stage (hopefully that makes sense and you understand what I mean). Nevertheless, as they said they liked it, I knew they didn't, it was written on their faces. And then, as you can imagine, they eventually said they didn't really like it.
I am under no circumstance suggesting people are lying; not at all. I just relate that anecdote to imply that maybe there is such pressure to like a new King story that we may kid ourselves about it. Quite honestly, this was not a good story, it was not clever, at some point I figured the twist out (and hoped that it wasn't the twist), and hoped there would be a second twist. (The idea that Boni proposed, whether in jest or not, would have been a better way to end the tale, although it wouldn't have saved it.) I probably thought of the ending only because the thread here said there would be a twist, so I was on the lookout; otherwise, I wouldn't have seen it coming, I'm pretty sure (my mind just doesn't work swiftly like that in most cases while I am reading a narrative or viewing a film).
Well, I hope the other stories in the collection that will be released later this year are better. A Death was no The Jaunt. Or Quitters, Inc. Or Everything's Eventual. A Death didn't really say anything, it had no commercial hook, it wasn't fun, the ending was inelegant, and because of this, because the engine of the tale had no creative oil running through the pistons, it seized up on me and ground to a halt. I may contradict myself a bit by saying I loved the pacing and the expression of the plot, but in most short stories, it is the concept that is important, the idea behind it, no matter whether it appears at the beginning, the end, or somewhere in the middle. That is the oil that lubricates the gears of entertainment value; the oil used here was stale, solid, ineffective. There was no entertainment value. This never would have been published by The New Yorker without a name like King's attached.
Would love to know Bev Vincent's opinion on the story, but I could understand him not wanting to reply to such a request. He might want to write about it later, but I would just like either confirmation or denial of the following line of thought: this just wasn't King at his finest (and he is, and always will be, a fine writer, this story notwithstanding).
Last edited:
I did like it... in the way that it gripped me right away from the first couple of paragraphs and in the way that he put me through a number of emotions in a short space of time:
He made me laugh out-loud at the humour in the dialogue, he grossed me out with the body search and a couple of other things, he made feel sad and worried for the accused and upset and disgusted over the death of the child and empathy for her parents, he had me guessing over who actually had done this and made me feel ill at the thought of somebody dying for someone else's crime. He gave me relief to think that an innocent man hadn't died and then caused me to question if maybe I was wrong about that after-all?
The story gave me a lot... when I say something 'is great", it won't necessarily mean that I liked where it ended up, but really just that it ticked enough of the right boxes for me along the way.