If it bleeds: new fiction

Holly Gibney (from Stephen King's Bill Hodges trilogy and The outsider) must face her fears and possibly another outsider--this time on her own. In "Mr. Harrigan's Phone," an intergenerational friendship has a disturbing afterlife. "The Life of Chuck" explores, beautifully, how each of us contains multitudes. And in "Rat," a struggling writer must contend with the darker side of ambition. If these stories show King's range, they also prove that certain themes endure. One of King's great concerns is evil, and in If it bleeds, there's plenty of it. There is also evil's opposite, which in King's fiction often manifests as friendship. In this collection, Holly is reminded that friendship is not only life-affirming but can be lifesaving. Young Craig befriends Mr. Harrigan, and the sweetness of this connection is its own reward. King also reminds us that life's quotidian pleasures are even more glorious because they are fleeting: the outrageous good fortune of a beautiful blue day after a string of gray ones; the delight of dancing really well, when every move feels perfect; a serendipitous meeting. It's in these moments that King's ability to describe pure joy rivals his ability to terrify us. --