New Yorker Fiction 2015

A WRITER'S WIT
The child's sob in the silence curses
     deeper
Than the strong man in his wrath.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Born March 6, 1806

Fool Me Once . . . .

Jon Gray / GRAY318

March 9, 2015, Stephen King, “A Death” Just prior to the Dakotas achieving statehood, Jim Trusdale is accused of murdering a ten-year-old girl for a silver dollar, a “cartwheel.” ¶ As a fan of King’s Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, I find this story a satisfying one for several reasons. King’s language, his prose, is spare, fits the era, and never plays outside the boundaries of the story—on the surface, a simple one. For some reason the reader believes the accused will turn out to be innocent. Is it because the townspeople, the “judge” and prosecutor, have already hanged Trusdale before the gallows is built? Is it because of Trusdale’s protestations, even to the last second before he faces his inevitable death? Only one person, the sheriff, comes to believe that Trusdale may be innocent. In a very O. Henry-like conclusion, the reader discovers why the sheriff is wrong! At first one must believe the title refers to the girl’s demise, but it could just as easily be penned in honor of Trusdale. King’s collection, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, will be out this fall.
Design by Jon Gray / GRAY318

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NEXT TIME: My Book World

BEHIND THE BOOK: My Long-Playing Records & Other Stories. These posts speak of the creative process I use for each story. Buy a copy here!

11/13/14 — Introduction to My Long-Playing Records
11/20/14 — "My Long-Playing Records" — The Story
11/27/14 — "A Certain Kind of Mischief"
12/04/14 — "Ghost Riders"
12/11/14 — "The Best Mud"
12/18/14 — "Handy to Some"
12/25/14 — "Blight"
01/01/15 — "A Gambler's Debt"
01/09/15 — "Tales of the Millerettes"
01/15/15 — "Men at Sea"
01/22/15 — "Basketball Is Not a Drug"
01/29/15 — "Engineer"
02/05/15 — "Snarked"
02/12/15 — "Killing Lorenzo"
02/19/15 — "The Age I Am Now"
02/26/15 — "Bathed in Pink"

PODCASTS
On March 12, I begin a ten-week series of podcasts that will serve as mini-readings. In each one I will read excerpts from one of the fifteen narratives from my new collection, My Long-Playing Records and Other Stories—complete with some kool music and sssssound effects. Tune in and join the fun!