Stephen King's If It Bleeds Read-Along - The Life of Chuck

This is a read-along so be aware of spoilers ahead.

Here we go again with one of King's talents, but it has to be said...he knows how to write about the (supposedly) coming apocalypse. I found myself feeling very uncomfortable, and also a bit scared, as I read disaster upon disaster in the first part of the story. It was all bad of course, but it was the sink hole that really got me. I am not fond of the fact that sink holes actually exist. Seriously though, what an interesting way to take the story. I was not expecting it at all. "I contain multitudes"...so this world that was slowly blinking out was a part of Chuck's mind...mind-blowing! lol

I also found it interesting about what the man Yarbrough said about the 24 hour day. That the earth's rotation was slowing down and his theory that what was happening was larger than environmental degradation. I'm no climate change denier, but it is an interesting theory. 

What a sad story too. The ghosts in this story are scary because they let you see the future, specifically when someone dies/is dying. So, it's the waiting for it to happen, as his grandfather said. There's a message here too, at least in my opinion. We are better off not knowing when it's going to happen, or the exact way it will happen. I would have to agree. 

Once again, this isn't really a scary story, in the normal sense of the word. But there are different kinds of scary, and King always knows just how to convey them. The dancing was nice too. 

Share your thoughts on this novella in the comments, or leave a link to a post. We'll be back October 16th to discuss the next novella, If It Bleeds. If you need the reading schedule, find it here.

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