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icarus

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2011
125
168
Okay...I was like what the hell just happened to this story?!...Here I was wondering what could have caused Mary to collapse and die? I thought that would have been the story but it ends up that Ray couldn't care less and his poor dog Biz dies of hyperthermia which was such a sad ending....but Ray just smokes and life goes on....
Im thinking that SK was like having a bad day at the office and no good ideas were coming up so he just wrote a 4000 word short story and couldn't come up with much and just said "f**k it, im have a smoke"
 

jalexbrown

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2009
154
21
Cincinnati, Ohio
I don't know if I would really call this story mean-spirited; I'd call it a cynical and jaded take of married life. And certainly those types of marriages exist - but even if they didn't and this only existed in the realm of fiction, that wouldn't make this any less fair game. We're talking about SK...a man that has killed off nearly the entire population of the world on multiple occasions (one in this very collection), has had grown-ups assault children on multiple occasions (again, one in this very collection), has had children engage in sexual acts in a sewer (someone correct me on the location of this, because it's been a while since I read It and I can't think of the proper terminology at the moment), and so many other horrific things - some of which that actually happen, even. I thought this story was fine. It wasn't remarkable, but I wouldn't say it missed its mark either. It was just a bit uninspired, and frankly the whole take my wife please shtick became cliche a long time ago. No hate intended, because even SK's worst writing on the worst topics is still incredibly enjoyable fare.
 

Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
2,906
6,242
62
Remember the scene in Tootsie where Jeff is describing the perfect audience?

"Hey, man, I saw your play. What happened?"

That's what I like about this story.
 
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chief4db

When it doubt, run!
Feb 11, 2015
733
2,676
whatsamatteru. usa
I really don't know how to comment. Anything that I write sounds like ctitism and in no way shape or form is my intent. Just not sure what I just read. I mean I understand the words just the story. Is there a part 2 later in book? I'm such a rube cause I just don't get it
 
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Jules3155

Well-Known Member
Aug 28, 2014
66
314
56
Southern Ohio
I really don't know how to comment. Anything that I write sounds like ctitism and in no way shape or form is my intent. Just not sure what I just read. I mean I understand the words just the story. Is there a part 2 later in book? I'm such a rube cause I just don't get it
No, there isn't a part 2 to the story. Some of his stories don't have an underlying message or anything along those lines. This story reminds me of some of those Alfred Hitchcock shows...kind of meaningless. :confused:
 

Gerald

Well-Known Member
Sep 8, 2011
2,201
7,168
The Netherlands
I quite like this story. It's one of those things that could actually happen and is told in a realistic way. King always nicely juxtaposes ordinary, every day things next to the big issue of 'death', where it makes the ordinary seem kind of arbitrary and trivial, like the items in the store next to the dead body.

Castle Rock and Castle Country are not real of course, but are Quik-Pik convenience stores real? I can find only a few on Internet, so I guess it's not really a big well-known chain of stores?
I kind of feel King mentions Quik-Pik in other stories as well, but on the Stephen King Wikia it only mentions this story:

Quik-Pik | Stephen King Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia
 
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Wab

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2017
86
312
It was cardiac arrest. She was overweight and snacked a lot, it was a hot day and their airco in the car didn't work well. Still, 35 seems a bit young, maybe he should have changed it to somewhat older.

I knew a guy who was perfectly fit yet had a fatal heart attack at 34 and it seems everyone knows of a geezer who smoked like a chimney and lived to a ripe old age. Even if you live a healthy life, the most important thing is to have the right ancestor.