Author: Stephen King
Release Date: 11 November, 2008
Series: None
Genre: Short Stories | Horror | Super Natural | Thriller
Pages: 515
Edition: Paperback
ISBN NO.: 978-0-340-97718-7
Publisher: Hachette India
Source: Library

Blurb

Just after sunset, as darkness grips the imagination, is the time when you feel the unexpected creep into the everyday. As familiar journeys take a different turn, ordinary objects assume extraordinary powers.

A blind intruder visits a dying man – and saves his life with a kiss.

A woman receives a phone call from her husband. Her late husband.

In the emotional aftermath of her baby’s sudden death. Emily starts running. And running. Her curiosity leads her right into the hands of a murderer… and soon her legs are her only hope for survival.

Review

Just After Sunset is a collection of 13 short stories. Some of the stories in this book are excellent whereas some are not that good and some are just a waste of time. Stephen King explores the deep and dark corners of one’s mind in these 13 unusual stories.

My favourite one is story #8: ‘N.’ It’s really creepy and I totally freaked out. This story begins and ends with a letter and at the end you really feel helpless as you know what’s going to happen. This story still gives me goosebumps. It’s actually King’s narrative that plays the trick. I loved the way he played with the idea of extreme level of OCD. The fact that I have OCD, really made the reading relative. The second best from the lot is ‘Mute’. This is also  a nice short story with strong narrative. I loved it’s ending (which I’m not gonna discuss here!) The description of situations makes you feel everything. These two stories really deserve 5/5.

I hate to say this, but reading ‘Harvey’s Dream’ and ‘Graduation Afternoon’ is a waste of time. If you wanna save your time, you can totally omit these two stories. ‘Willa’ was much better then these two but still was a disappointment at the end. Rest of the stories are worth reading.

Following are the ratings for all the 13 stories individually:

Willa: **
The Gingerbread Girl:****
Harvey’s Dream: *
Rest Stop: ***
Stationary Bike: ****
The Things They Left Behind: *****
Graduation Afternoon: **
N.: *****
The Cat From Hell: ****
The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates: ****
Mute: *****
Ayana: ****
A Very Tight Place: *****

You can also read this review at Goodreads hear.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: ‘You don’t see what’s right in front of your eyes, she’d said, but sometimes he did.’

Highlights: N. (story #8)

Low-lights: Harvey’s Dream (story #3)

Memorable Quotes: “The medical definition of miracle is misdiagnosis.”

“Relief loosens tongues beyond measure.”

“Obliqueness is the curse of the reading class.”

Memorable Paragraph:

“I don’t want to hear the scary part. But at the same time she does want to hear the scary part, everyone wants to hear the scary part, we’re all mad here, and her mother really did say that if you told your dreams they wouldn’t come true, which meant you were supposed to tell the nightmares and save the good ones for yourself, hide them like a tooth under the pillow.”

Final Thoughts: A must read for King’s fans.