In the small town of Castle Rock word gets around quickly. That’s why Scott Carey only confides in his friend Doctor Bob Ellis about his strange condition. Every day he’s losing weight – but without looking any different.

Meanwhile a new couple, Deirdre and Missy, owners of a ‘fine dining experience’ in town, have moved in next door. Scott is not happy that their dogs keep fouling on his lawn.

But as the town prepares for its annual Thanksgiving 12K run, Scott starts to understand the prejudices his neighbours face. Soon, they forge a friendship which may just help him through his mysterious affliction…

Paperback | 192 pages

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks (9th January, 2020)

Read – 23rd April 2020

This is my first foray into Stephen King, I’ve always wanted to read his books but never have for some reason or another. I saw this on thisgirlsbookshelf over on Instagram and it convinced me to buy it. I’m already excited to read it!

Quite easy actually, I wasn’t sure whether I was expecting it to be hard persay, but I was definitely a little surprised by how easy it was to read.

I found Scott fascinating. I was quite engrossed in his character and what was happening to him. I kept thinking of sci-fi films of the 1950s and I found myself getting more curious about the things left unsaid and unexplained. His condition was…simple in by eyes and yet explored in a way that made it seem both remarkable and obsurd. In the time I got to learn about Scott, I saw a character who felt very free and who looked for the positives in life rather than the negatives. I thought his outlook on life was very comforting and his overall character just made me more willing to connect to him and learn about him.

Deirdre was complicated but the more I learned about her, the more I realised that that complexity was justified. Her character took a while to see because of her many layers but I enjoyed watching her slowly open up to Scott and the banter they shared as the story progressed. It was interesting to see how the town functioned and the difference of opinion it had of Deirdre versus, say, Scott.

I found both characters to be ones that easily bounced off each other. The moments of interaction between them were filled with heat – at least in my opinion – and I started to look forward to the interactions they shared.

Doctor Bob Ellis reminded me of a man who had seen so much that the impossible became the possible. I really enjoyed the way he viewed life and the way he stood by as a friend to Scott. I thought his attitude towards the scenario was refreshing and it made me see him as more than just a retired Doctor. I definitely felt like I got to see some heart of the character and it made the role of ‘secondary character’ more compelling and relatable.

Missy reminded me of a mouse, and I’m not sure if that was intentional or not. She was sweet and shy where Deirdre was cold and bold. Missy surprised me in the way she came out of her shell during the book and with some of the dialogue she came out with. She filled the gap between the other main characters and served a purpose within the book.

I managed to create visualisations of the characters early on and that definitely helped me to understand them and connect to them in a quicker timeframe. There weren’t many different scenes either, so I was able to concentrate on fleshing out and detailing a small number of scenes within my mind, which was easy to control and manage.

I was pretty positive as I read this book. I started reading it an hour after I finished Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, so it was a nice change of pace and genre. I didn’t have any expectations walking into my first Stephen King book, I didn’t know what to expect, so I just let myself be open and willing to read the story inside. I really got a kick out of this book. You know that magical moment when something just clicks? I totally had that while reading this. It sort of, warmed my soul? If that makes sense. It has encouraged me to delve further into Stephen King and explore some of his other books.

As I said in my review for Fantastic Mr Fox, it’s very hard to go wrong with a short story. This book was only 132 pages long and yet the story felt complicated and intriguing. It took me maybe, an hour to read but in that hour, I was firmly taken away from reality and dropped into the book itself. That was a big point for me. I was pleased that I decided to take the plunge and that I started with this book because I enjoyed the reading experience and I’ll enjoy dipping my toe further into the water in terms of reading some of his other books.

I will be firmly staying away from the clowns though!!