Date of original post: Dec 5, 2018
Tonight I finally finished this tiny little book. I have no excuse really... except... life. What should have been a couple hours read at most took me two weeks as life just kept getting in the way. Upon finishing, the irony isn't lost on me.
As a lifelong fan of King's, I was thrown by the sight of this little book. Not an example of his usual lengthy works but longer than his short stories and novellas, I saw a lot of reviews from people complaining about paying traditional full price for this little tidbit of a book. But let me tell you, compact in size and in words compared to traditional King, this little book packs quite a wallop.
I wasn't sure as it started that it was going to work for me. As with most King, it requires setting aside some portion of the world you thought you knew and embracing something we have taken for granted in life... but with these limited pages and concise words, you realize in the end that this isn't at all about what's happening on the surface. The story is a distraction. It is the tool he uses to take you on a journey of the heart. It's a story about, ironically, the ties that bind us to each other. How opening ourselves up frees us from all that weighs on our souls and letting go can truly leave us elevated.
Tomorrow I return this to my library and hope the next person of the 80 waiting in line for it steps into it not knowing the journey they are about to take.
In the last pages of the book, King's prowess with words has never been stronger. I know the emotions he tramples on, for me, have been raw and close to surface these past several years but, like a fine surgeon, he knows exactly how to unleash them with the tiniest of incisions to reach deep inside and let them free.
If you've hesitated on this one, don't. I wish I hadn't and will definitely find a used copy down the road to add to my King collection as one of his my favorites.
... and, OMG... the tissues...
