“The universe is large, he thought. It contains multitudes. It also contains me, and in this moment I am wonderful. I have the right to be wonderful.”
– Stephen King, “The Life of Chuck”
Imagine that the world is ending. Civil society has begun to collapse, extreme weather disasters are affecting every state, region and country, while food shortages are rampant. There are frequent power shortages, until one day, there just isn’t any while the internet goes dark. And at the centre of it all is…a retiring mid-level banker?
Somehow as the world ends, you keep seeing an ad for the banker with the message: “CHUCK KRANTZ - 39 Great Years! Thanks Chuck”. It’s everywhere from billboards to the Netflix error screen, and you simply cannot wrap your mind around it. Who exactly is Chuck Krantz? And what does he have to do with all of this?
This is just opening act of the masterful US author Stephen King’s* novella** “The Life of Chuck”, hooking readers into exploring and reading the story, as well as to later learn about just who this Chuck Krantz is.
The story is among a collection of four previously unpublished novellas written by King titled “If It Bleeds”, with the three others being the titular story, “Mr Harrigan’s Phone” and “Rat”. The collection was published in 2020 and King certainly does not disappoint, though some might favour certain stories over others.
Although some might disagree, I think that “The Life of Chuck” is the best among the collection and if you could only read one, this is what I would recommend the most. It has a concept that I felt was unique while also being presented in a way that is different. At only over 60 pages long, the story consists of three acts, though it goes from act three to one rather than the usual one to three, each being different to the last. King’s knack for storytelling is continuously showcased in this novella, again being one of his many works that have long shown that he can write something great beyond the horror genre. More importantly, he shows how much he can do with a shorter form of storytelling.
One thing to note for those interested in reading, however, is that a lot of Stephen King’s works are more suitable for adult readers, and in this case, it is no exception. There are still things like the use of swear words or strong language and some mature content, so I would not recommend it to very young readers or to those averse to that kind of content. However, I think it’s safe to recommend it to young adults. Moreover, “The Life of Chuck” is by no means a perfect story, with pacing perhaps being an issue in certain parts, particularly around the middle act.
All in all, “The Life of Chuck” is a good story. Though a quick read for most, it proves to be an enjoyable journey long after readers get past the opening act as they learn about who Chuck Krantz is. And figuring out what it all means by the end is also part of what makes the story worth reading again and again.
*Stephen King (born 1947) is widely known for his horror novels and has been crowned the “King of Horror”. He has also explored other genres such as suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy and mystery. Though known primarily for his novels, he has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections. -Source: Wikipedia
**According to Wikipedia, a novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. A novella, Wikipedia adds, can have a wordcount of between 17,500 and 40,000 words, while some websites also note that it can start from 10,000 or 20,000 words.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
These photos taken yesterday show my copy of Stephen King’s “If It Bleeds” and the start of “The Life of Chuck”. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
