Author: Stephen King
First Published: January 1, 2011
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 80
Genre: Horror, Short Stories
Format: Ebook
Source: Library
Rating:
Synopsis:
With the heart of Stand By Me and the genius horror of Christine, Mile 81 is Stephen King unleashing his imagination as he drives past one of those road signs...
At Mile 81 on the Maine Turnpike is a boarded up rest stop on a highway in Maine. It's a place where high school kids drink and get into the kind of trouble high school kids have always gotten into. It's the place where Pete Simmons goes when his older brother, who's supposed to be looking out for him, heads off to the gravel pit to play "paratroopers over the side." Pete, armed only with the magnifying glass he got for his tenth birthday, finds a discarded bottle of vodka in the boarded up burger shack and drinks enough to pass out.
Not much later, a mud-covered station wagon (which is strange because there hadn't been any rain in New England for over a week) veers into the Mile 81 rest area, ignoring the sign that says "closed, no services." The driver's door opens but nobody gets out.
Doug Clayton, an insurance man from Bangor, is driving his Prius to a conference in Portland. On the backseat are his briefcase and suitcase and in the passenger bucket is a King James Bible, what Doug calls "the ultimate insurance manual," but it isn't going to save Doug when he decides to be the Good Samaritan and help the guy in the broken down wagon. He pulls up behind it, puts on his four-ways, and then notices that the wagon has no plates.
Ten minutes later, Julianne Vernon, pulling a horse trailer, spots the Prius and the wagon, and pulls over. Julianne finds Doug Clayton's cracked cell phone near the wagon door — and gets too close herself. By the time Pete Simmons wakes up from his vodka nap, there are a half a dozen cars at the Mile 81 rest stop. Two kids — Rachel and Blake Lussier — and one horse named Deedee are the only living left. Unless you maybe count the wagon.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
This little novella showcases the dangers of being a good Samaritan. Sounds absurd right? Everyone should try and be a good neighbor and help each other in need. You don’t truly know what kind of person you will encounter when you pull over to help, it’s risky, and the times that something bad happens it’s a tragedy to hear about. This story takes that what if and adds a little paranormal twist, something that King does incredibly well. I loved this idea and found it unique, I flew through the pages wanting to know what was going on and see how it could possibly end.
The characters were enjoyable, and the writing was laugh out loud funny despite the extremely dark subject matter. The narration was witty though I have to admit that I was thrown off by Pete. His inner monologue and manner of speech seemed too old for the character’s age which makes him mildly unbelievable. A minor thing to complain about but it was something noticeable to me.
Mile 81 was originally released as a Kindle Single and later collected in the anthology The Bazaar of Bad Dreams and is easily one of the better stories included. For those that like a small shot of King’s signature humor and uniquely creepy stories, Mile 81 is definitely one to check out. It is genuinely tense and was just plain fun to read.
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »Quote
“She had grown up knowing you cared for the one who had fallen and couldn’t get up. She had also grown up knowing you ate no shit—not about your hosses, your size, your line of work, or your sexual preferences. Once you started eating shit, it had a way of becoming your regular diet.”
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