Though better known for his sprawling novels, Stephen King has had remarkable success with the novella over the years. The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and Secret Window all began as King novellas, and the more succinct format curbs the worst of his digressive tendencies. While Full Dark, No Stars isn’t on par with Different Seasons, it’s a pretty good showcase for the best – and the worst – that King is capable of.
“1922” illustrates both extremes. Here, King leaves behind his favored contemporary New England settings in order to give us the Midwest of yesteryear. He does so convincingly: the early chapters of Wilf’s narration feature some sharp diction. But by the end, he sounds all too much like King himself, even referring to the Reader (minus the Dear). Similarly, the epistolary format works when it allows us to see the frightening development of Wilf’s accomplice/son, Henry, through a father’s eyes, but fails spectacularly when trying to narrate information Wilf wasn’t present for. The given explanation (psychic rats told him) is preposterous enough to debase the whole novella. All and all, “1922” reads like A Simple Plan with a more interesting setting and unwanted supernatural baggage.
“Big Driver” offers a different set of strengths and weaknesses. The title is inane, and the rape/revenge plot is overly simplistic and crude. However, the postmodern touches ensure that this rises above genre conventions. The victim, Tess, watches thrillers and begins to think like (or, sometimes, in contrast to) her detective characters. The titular antagonist, while guilty of monstrous acts, isn’t a soulless Michael Myers or even a Norman Daniels (the notoriously misogynistic and nigh-unstoppable villain of King’s Rose Madder), but rather a visible local with a business and a family – complications Tess must take into account when plotting her revenge. The gimmick of having Tess hold conversations with imaginary others (her cat, her main character, etc.) is tired, but nearly plausible given the trauma of her situation. The ending will seem unsatisfactory to some, but like the rest of the novella, it forces both reader and character alike to think beyond popularized conceptions of revenge and make difficult decisions.
On the other hand, “Fair Extension” takes postmodern self-referencing even further, but it doesn’t work nearly as well. George Elvid, the sinister “extension salesman,” defines the kind of devil he is by informing Streeter of the kind of devil he isn’t: he doesn’t want your soul, he won’t keep upping the cost on you, he doesn’t have horns, etc. This is supposed to make him realistic and therefore more terrifying, but it cuts into his menace considerably. What is terrifying is the litany of misfortunes (spouse’s death, business failure, children’s injuries, etc.) a jealous Streeter brings upon his more successful best friend in exchange for being able to live longer and the utter lack of remorse he shows for it. The protagonists of the other novellas at least seem to realize they are crossing lines and going to dark places. Streeter seems blissfully – and disturbingly – unaware.
With “A Good Marriage,” King offers his take on Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer who was also an upstanding citizen. Specifically, he explores how someone can go through more than a quarter century married to a monster without even realizing it. The tension is excellent, the Rader stand-in is magnificently deluded, and plenty of moral boundaries are pushed. Only the pat ending and the implausible forensics mar this otherwise jolting tale.
Taken as a whole, Full Dark, No Stars has ups and downs but delivers more times than not. In the coming years, it will be interesting to see which of the novellas breakout (ala Shawshank) and which are condemned to obscurity.
7.75/10
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