by Stephen King
First published 2008
Dr. N.'s patient speaks of a terrible compulsion that might prevent global catastrophe. The psychiatrist listens, takes notes, prescribes medication. But the obsession transfers like a virus. Soon the doctor finds himself counting, checking, returning again and again to verify what cannot be verified. In another tale, Emily runs for her life across a Florida key, her marathon training the only thing between her and a killer. A book salesman picks up a hitchhiker who never speaks but hears everything. A woman pedaling a stationary bike discovers her exercise routine leads somewhere impossible. King populates thirteen stories with people whose ordinary lives crack open. A blind girl named Ayana heals with her touch. A portable toilet becomes something unspeakable. A roadside bar hosts love that never ends. The boundary between life and death blurs. Reality tears at its edges. These moments arrive just after sunset, when shadows lengthen and the familiar world shifts into something else entirely.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, horror, psychological-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: supernatural-elements, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Florida
Period: Just After Sunset
367 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: mental-illness