2 minute read
BOOK REVIEW
Review By Brett Campbell Art submitted
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The first iPhone was released in 2007 and revolutionized the way people interacted with each other and technology.
That is a large focus of the novella “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” one of four novellas in Stephen King’s “If It Bleeds,” released in April. This new set of stories from the master of horror also includes “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and the titular story.
“Chuck” focuses on the character of Chuck Krantz and is told in reverse, exploring a life simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary, and the crumbling of the world around him.
“Rat” is a story that revisits a recurring theme for King — a writer with writer’s block makes a devilish bargain so he can finish his novel — but this story is no re-run in the author’s library.
“If It Bleeds” reintroduces Holly Gibney — of “The Outsider” and the Bill Hodges trilogy — who is suspicious of a reporter who is first on the scene of tragic events. It continues a theme introduced in “The Outsider,” though that novel is not necessarily a prerequisite read.
But the first story in the book is “Mr. Harrigan’s
Phone.” The reader meets teenager Craig, who has worked for an elderly, retired and wealthy neighbor, Mr. Harrigan, since he was 9 years old, reading for him and taking care of his plants. Each year on Craig’s birthday, he receives a card from Mr. Harrigan and a scratch-off lotto ticket. One year, he wins $3,000 and buys a first-generation iPhone as a thank you for his benefactor.
Harrigan, suspicious of technology in general and disdainful toward most gifts, agrees to take the phone when Craig shows him he can access his beloved Wall Street Journal and other financial market sites through his phone. The iPhone soon becomes a constant companion for the old man, right up until his unexpected death.
As a kind gesture, Craig puts the phone in Mr. Harrigan’s pocket just before he’s buried.
Later, missing his friend, he calls Mr. Harrigan’s phone and leaves a voicemail message. To his surprise, he gets an answer.
Craig’s life takes a couple of unexpected turns. Though helped financially by Mr. Harrigan’s help investing and being included by the old man in his will, Craig is haunted by what may or may not be a little more help from the old man after his death.
“If It Bleeds” is available in hardback or audiobook at most book retailers.
