A review by mshusky
The Life of Chuck by Stephen King

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Picked this up after missing the film adaptation, and I’m glad I did, the novella is an interesting exploration of death, memory, and the quiet significance of ordinary life. 

Told in reverse chronology, the novella unfolds like a puzzle in three acts, each moving backward through time to reveal more about the life, and cosmic significance, a seemingly unremarkable man named Chuck. The structure is intriguing and clever, giving the story a mystery that enhances its emotional impact. 

After giving away most of the plot in his introductoin (!) King handles the big themes, grief, mortality, and  the end of the world, deftly. There’s a subplot of magical realism (the mysterious visions in the locked cupola, Chuck’s face gradually appearing everywhere as the world unravels) that adds a strange and haunting dimension, but the story resists tipping into horror, at least in the traditional sense. The dread here is quieter and more existential, less about monsters under the bed, more about the fragility of memory and the enormity of individual lives.  

The supporting characters are well drawn and help ground the surreal elements in something emotionally real. I appreciated how, even in the face of cosmic collapse, King returns again and again to the deeply human: dancing in the rain, small kindnesses, a moment of grace before everything ends. 

Not what I expected, but in the best way. A brief, interesting novella.