If It Bleeds by Stephen King is a compilation of four novellas written previously but left unpublished until this publication of the four. The four novellas from start to end: Mr. Harrigan's Phone, The Life of Chuck, If It Bleeds and Rat.
Mr. Harrigan's Phone:
The novella Mr. Harrigan's phone is about the close relationship of a teenager by the name of Craig who befriended an old and dying John Harrigan. Their relationship was shaky at first but soon find that they get along quite well. Craig gets the iPhone that he so desired for Christmas and decides to also get one for Mr. Harrigan. Mr. Harrigan refused this at first, thinking that this phone thing could never be for him, but could not hold back his intrigue for it and eventually gave in. One day when Craig was visiting Mr. Harrigan he finds him slumped unconscious on his chair, phone in hand. During the funeral Craig buries Mr. Harrigan with it and this leads to a series of events where Craig somehow finds a way to connect with the deceased Mr. Harrigan through use of iPhones... Stephen King crafts an original story connecting the youth of today to the older and more mature generations, connected through the use of a simple iPhone. I found this to be an interesting read, which is worth a second read in the near future.
The Life of Chuck
The second novella in If It Bleeds is the Life of Chuck. The story revolves heavily around the main character Chuck, his childhood, his adult life and his sick and dying years. The story is divided into three acts: "I Contain Multitudes", "Buskers" and "Thanks, Chuck!" The Life of Chuck takes place in a world about to collapse, falling apart at a seemingly exponential rate. The city billboards, electricity, society as a whole is no longer functional. However there is one phrase resounding upon the little remains of society that continue to work, "Charles Krantz. Thirty nine great years. Thanks, Chuck!" Upon every single billboard, lies those eight words. A schoolteacher takes note of this and theorizes that the death of this man named Chuck is somehow directly linked to the ending of the world... On the bright side of things, this novel is also about enjoying the life we have left and finding the beauty and little joys in every place we may go.
If It Bleeds
The third novella in this series, which the compilation is named after, is basically a small sequel to Stephen King's previous novel, "The Outsider." Like its prequel, this book revolves around a detective searching for evidence of an outsider who may be behind disastrous crimes that have been recently committed. Holly Gibson, the private detective, teams up with her friends in solving this case and uncovering the truth all while dealing with her own personal issues and traumas. This was a fun read, however its story and plot were not nearly as developed as the other three in the series, which was quite disappointing.
Rat
The final novella in this series is about the process of writing a novel (could this in someway be about Stephen Kings very own way of writing?). Rat is about an author who is struggling to finish a much needed piece of work and ends up signing the life of one of his loved ones away to a rat, striking up a Faustian bargain. Drew Larson, the author, heads to his cabin in the woods seeking complete peace and solitude, hoping that this could end his writing block. While he is at work, a rat with the ability to communicate, offers him a bargain: he will end this creative draught he is experiencing but at the high cost of one of his friends or family that he holds dear...Very well developed plot and original.
Rating: The first two novellas were enjoyable and easy to read, strong and original plots. Mr. Harrigan's Phone was thrilling and filled with a balance of suspense and action. The Life of Chuck was eerie and odd, but left you constantly wondering who the heck this guys Chuck was, keeping you hooked onto the story. The third novella, "If It Bleeds," had a weaker story than the other three and was intended more of a sequel to Stephen Kings, "The Outsiders," rather than a one off story. The final novella, "Rat," is one of Mr. King's better works and one of my personal favorites. It was horrifying in a non terrifying way but also had suspense and thrill, I had no dull moments reading it.
