1922 by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars rounded up**
1922 is the first novella included in my favorite short-story collection, Full Dark, No Stars.
This is the second time I have read this story and its impact was not diminished with repetition. In fact, I think I appreciated it more this time around.
One thing I had actually forgotten about this story is that the entire thing is told via a written confession. Epistolary format generally does work for me anyway, but in King’s capable hands, it elevated this to a higher level.
The quality of the writing makes you feel like you are actually listening to a haunted man tell his story. In this case, that man is Wilfred James, a farmer from the Hemingford Home area of Nebraska.
King’s Constant Readers may recognize that name from other works, most notably, The Stand.
The publisher’s synopsis for this story explains it best: A powerful tale of betrayal, murder, madness and rats, 1922 is a breathtaking exploration into the dark side of human nature. That’s exactly what this is.
The story flows organically and steadily, while unsuspectingly gettin under your skin. Before you know it, you’ll be flinching at the smallest noises around you. Any little scratch or scatter could be the rats coming for you.
I frequently mention that when I reread King’s works that my attention is drawn to different elements each time. With the initial horror of the story out of the way, I found myself more able to focus on the relationships this time through.
The relationship between Wilf and his son, Henry, of course, but also the relationship between Henry and his young love. Additionally, I felt more drawn to Wilf’s inner turmoil after the horrors began. It’s like a 1920s-Midwestern version of Crime and Punishment.
Overall, the way this story is told, it’s absolutely captivating. Even the gruesome bits will have your eyes glued to the page, dreading whatever will be coming next.
Readers are cautioned to scenes of animal hurt, or harm, but truthfully, it’s a farm and the circumstances involved are things that would, or could, occur on a working farm. I will admit to skim reading some of those scenes though.
As with the rest of the stories included in the Full Dark, No Stars collection, 1922 is ultimately a story of ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary, and gut-churning, circumstances.
If this sounds at all intriguing to you, I absolutely recommend checking it out. I’m so happy that I took the time to reread this. It’s definitely secured itself in my mind as one of my top novellas ever.