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Just After Sunset

Just After Sunset

Auteur Stephen King
Eerste Uitgave2008
Uitgave2008
UitgeverijHodder & Stoughton
Vormkortverhalen
TaalEngels
Bladzijden353 bladzijden
Gelezen2010-06-28
Score10/10

Inhoud

'Did you maybe leave the oven on? Or forget to turn off the gas under your patio barbeque? What about the lock on your back door? Did you remember to give it a twist? Things like that are so easy to forget, and someone could be slipping in right now...'

Now: just after sunset, as darkness grips the imagination, that's when reality grows thin. When you can feel the everyday become the unexpected in this captivating collection of twist-in-the-tail stories of suspense, terror and dark comedy from the No.1 bestselling writer.

A blind girl visits a dying man and saves his life... with a kiss. A crime writer is faced with a real crime - and has to draw upon his alter-ego for courage. And a young couple seek the bright lights of a nearby town - and end up playing the jukebox, for eternity.

This tantalising, thrilling volume explores the human experience as ordinary objects assume extraordinary powers and familiar journeys take a different turn. From the surreal to the horribly real, King plays a riveting riff which will keep you spellbound from first page to last.

What would you do if your everyday world were turned upside down in an instant?

Bespreking

King's best short story collection

Just After Sunset is a collection of short stories: In "Willa" a husband goes looking for his wife after a terrible train wreck; "The Gingerbread Girl" tells the story of how Emily, after losing her daughter, starts to run away from everything. But in the end, you will have to face your foes and stand up to fight; It is only to hope that "Harvey's Dream" doesn't become reality; An authors alias tries to solve a lover's dispute at a "Rest Stop"; Riding on your "Stationary Bike" is good for your health. Or not?; In "The Things They Left Behind" a man gets worried when random objects start to appear in his room; Something drastic happens to Manhattan during "Graduation Afternoon"; "N." is the remarkable account of an extreme case of obsessive–compulsive disorder and a port to another world; "The Cat from Hell" is not so easy to get rid of; In "The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates" Annie gets a call from someone she did not expect; Even a "Mute" hitchhiker can cause some trouble; "Ayana" suddenly shows up at the bedside of a dying man; There is "A Very Tight Place" that you certainly don't want to get stuck in.

If ever Stephen King has to defend himself as Master of Horror, then rest assured that Just After Sunset will be submitted as strong evidence. All 13 stories reach a level that is seldom seen in the genre. They are witty, funny, horrendous and sometimes even nauseatingly gruesome gems of craftsmanship. Don't expect any experiments or completely new insights into the horror short story, just some plain and decent, I tend to even claim classic, examples of how you write a good fright story. While reading them, you just can feel how Stephen King was enjoying himself as he was jamming on his keyboard. And that is a lot of the enjoyment that Just After Sunset has to offer.

Do not hesitate: read this book... but only just after sunset!