by Stephen King
Just After Sunset (2008)
* * * * (Great) Realistic
John Dykstra is trying to decide which man is driving between Jacksonville and Sarasota – the English professor, Dykstra, or the pseudonymous suspense novelist, Ricky Hardin. A much-needed respite at a rest stop to relieve some urinary pressure brings Dykstra/Hardin face-to-face with Ellen and Lee-Lee, and his question of identity is unexpectedly answered.
Turns out, I’ve read this story before. “Rest Stop,” was first published in Esquire magazine a couple of years ago. I remember being surprised to see a new work by King in the magazine and flipped right to the story. It was great. I do enjoy stories about writers, their process and their lives, and I have even given thought to the merits of pseudonyms. But what really hooked me with this story was the setting: a rest stop. Traveling across the country as much as I have, the rest stop is not an unfamiliar place to me. I’ve had some thoughts about situations just like this – some much worse – and there’s just something about rest stops that brings such thoughts to mind. King does a wonderful job of taking those feelings and exploring them in a way that is both honest to the atmosphere and entertaining to even those without the rest stop familiarity.
[Now, if you’ve been following along, back in the creation of this blogging project, I stated that these stories would be new to me. And as I’ve read this tale before, I’ve a bit of a dilemma. I’ve decided that if this situation occurs, I’ll remedy it with a second story that same day. I’ll still write the review – as I’ve done here – for the story previously read, but I’ll also include an entirely new story and review to stay true to the project.]
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