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Premium Harmony

by Stephen King

Read the book as a PDF: Premium Harmony

Read the Alternative version online: Premium Harmony

This week in the book club we will be reading 'Premium Harmony' by Stephen King. The story was published in the November 2009 issue of The New Yorker magazine. The story is set in Castle Rock, King's famous fictitious city; in this story the city is almost abandoned and run-down.

The central theme is about marriage. Specifically, the marriage of two incompatible people, Ray and Mary, people who have drifted apart from each other, who have changed over the years, who have grown apart. It depicts the image of many marriages today: marriages where boredom and indifference had set in, and love, that glorious feeling they had at the beginning, has faded in a background of monotony, resentment and discord.

The story begins with the state of their marriage: ten years, childless, nearly bankrupt, arguing a lot. His wife was barren, overweight, constantly bickered him on his smoking and over almost anything, a bit extravagant for his own taste. He’d bought her a dog, a Jack Russell named Bizz, whose loyalties turned to her, and the three of them were on their way to Walmart to buy grass seed for their lawn, which she insisted is needed to be able to sell their house. They stopped at Quik Pik to buy a purple ball for her niece, again, at her insistence and with his compliance. There, two things happened one after the other, giving Ray the freedom he didn’t know he wanted.

Stephen King in his foreword to this story in the book 'Bizarre of Bad Dreams' tells us that this story was heavily inspired by Raymond Carver and his writings. 

"I was stunned by the clarity of Carvers style, and by the beautiful tension of his prose line. Everything is on the surface, but the surface is so clear that the reader can see a living universe just beneath. I loved those stories, and i loved the American losers Carver wrote about with such knowledge and tenderness. Yes, the man was a drunk, but he had a sure touch and a great heart."

Not only is the prose style of this story reminiscent of Carvers style while still feeling distinctly 'King', but the story also deals with suffering, pain and loss in a similar way that carver would approach it - making it ordinary and even mundane, the ordinary suffering of everyday life. 

"Carver seemed to have little sense of humour. I, on the other hand, see the humour in almost everything. The humour here is black, but in my opinion, that's often the best kind. Because - dig it - when it comes to death, what can you do but laugh?"

Listen to the Book: Premium Harmony

About the Author

Stephen Edwin King born on September the 21st in 1947. He is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published 62 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.

When asked why he writes, King responds: "The answer to that is fairly simple—there was nothing else I was made to do. I was made to write stories and I love to write stories. That's why I do it. I really can't imagine doing anything else and I can't imagine not doing what I do."

What is the book club?

Join us every week for a book club, each week we will read a new short story of part of a larger book, the books will be made available as an audio book and we will meet as a group via zoom to chat about the story. All are welcome, hope to see you there. 

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