Name: 1922
ISBN: 9781529379365

Stephen King

The chilling novella featured in Stephen King's bestselling collection Full Dark, No Stars, 1922 - about a man who succumbs to the violence within - is now available as a stand-alone publication. I believe there is a man inside every man, a stranger So writes Wilfred James in his confession. It's 1922. Wilfred owns eighty acres of farmland in Nebraska that have been in the family for generations. His wife, Arlette, owns an adjoining one hundred acres. But if Arlette carries out her threat to sell her land to a pig butcher, Wilfred will be forced to sell too. Worse, he'll have to move to the city. But he has a daring plan. It may work if he can persuade his son. A powerful tale of betrayal, murder, madness and rats, 1922 is a breathtaking exploration into the dark side of human nature from the great American storyteller Stephen King. It was adapted into a film from Netflix.

1922

The chilling novella featured in Stephen King’s New York Times bestselling collection Full Dark, No Stars, 1922 is about a man who succumbs to the violence within—setting in motion a grisly train of murder and madness. Wilfred James owns eighty acres of farmland in Nebraska that have been in his family for generations. His wife, Arlette, owns an adjoining one hundred acres. She wants to sell her land but if she does, Wilfred will be forced to sell as well. James will do anything to hold onto his farm, and he'll get his son to go along. Betrayal, murder, madness, rats, 1922 is a breathtaking exploration into the dark side of human nature from the great American storyteller Stephen King.

 by Stephen King, and let me tell you, if you’ve ever thought, “Hey, I wonder what would happen if 

 had a baby with a cornfield,” then boy, do I have the novella for you! I stumbled upon this gem in 

 and, like a sucker for King’s shorter works, I dove in headfirst, blissfully unaware of the emotional rat-infested rollercoaster I was about to ride.

First, hats off to King for reminding us that nothing good ever comes from being too attached to the family farm. I mean, seriously, Wilfred, you couldn’t just let Arlette sell her land and live happily ever after in Omaha? No, of course not. Instead, you had to go full 

 and drag your poor, gullible son into a murder plot that makes Macbeth look like a walk in the park.

The pacing? Impeccable. It’s like King handed me a shovel and said, “Dig in,” and I couldn’t stop until I hit the bones at the bottom of the well. And the rats—oh, the rats! Just when you think you’ve had enough of symbolic vermin, here comes another one to gnaw on what’s left of Wilfred’s sanity. Is it real? Is it guilt? Is it just another reason to never go near a well again? Who knows! And that’s the magic.

But let’s talk about the real star of the show: Wilfred’s spiraling descent into madness. He’s like a Nebraska-flavored Raskolnikov, except with more livestock and fewer philosophical debates over tea. By the end, you’re not sure if the rats are real, if Arlette’s corpse is actually wandering around, or if Wilf just needs a good therapist and maybe some rat poison. But who cares? It’s King at his best—leaving us with more questions than answers and a slightly queasy feeling in the pit of our stomachs.

 is a delightful tale of how not to handle marital disputes. It’s a cautionary story that teaches us the valuable lesson: if your spouse wants to sell the farm, maybe just let them do it. Because if you don’t, you might end up in a haunted hotel room with a bunch of imaginary rats and a newspaper clipping that makes you wonder if anything you just read actually happened. Classic King. Four stars for the nightmare fuel and philosophical ponderings!

Jehan Chawla

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So, I just wrapped up 1922 by Stephen King, and let me tell you, if you’ve ever thought, “Hey, I wonder what would happen if Crime and Punishment had a baby with a cornfield,” then boy, do I have the novella for you! I stumbled upon this gem in Full Dark, No Stars and, like a sucker for King’s shorter works, I dove in headfirst, blissfully unaware of the emotional rat-infested rollercoaster I was about to ride.

First, hats off to King for reminding us that nothing good ever comes from being too attached to the family farm. I mean, seriously, Wilfred, you couldn’t just let Arlette sell her land and live happily ever after in Omaha? No, of course not. Instead, you had to go full Crime and Punishment meets American Gothic and drag your poor, gullible son into a murder plot that makes Macbeth look like a walk in the park.

The pacing? Impeccable. It’s like King handed me a shovel and said, “Dig in,” and I couldn’t stop until I hit the bones at the bottom of the well. And the rats—oh, the rats! Just when you think you’ve had enough of symbolic vermin, here comes another one to gnaw on what’s left of Wilfred’s sanity. Is it real? Is it guilt? Is it just another reason to never go near a well again? Who knows! And that’s the magic.

But let’s talk about the real star of the show: Wilfred’s spiraling descent into madness. He’s like a Nebraska-flavored Raskolnikov, except with more livestock and fewer philosophical debates over tea. By the end, you’re not sure if the rats are real, if Arlette’s corpse is actually wandering around, or if Wilf just needs a good therapist and maybe some rat poison. But who cares? It’s King at his best—leaving us with more questions than answers and a slightly queasy feeling in the pit of our stomachs.

In conclusion, 1922 is a delightful tale of how not to handle marital disputes. It’s a cautionary story that teaches us the valuable lesson: if your spouse wants to sell the farm, maybe just let them do it. Because if you don’t, you might end up in a haunted hotel room with a bunch of imaginary rats and a newspaper clipping that makes you wonder if anything you just read actually happened. Classic King. Four stars for the nightmare fuel and philosophical ponderings!

Amani Zaha

1. I don't think Stephen King's writing (apart from maybe The Shining) is for me.

2. I didn't mean to read this. It was included in my edition of A Good Marriage, also by King, and I thought 1922 was a part of the story lol.

The thing I remember the most about this is the very ending, partly because of the impactful scene, partly because I was relieved I'd finished the book.

McKayla Bohnsack

Jamie Trenholm

Jasmine Tania

Melissa Deitrick

When I saw the trailer for this book as a movie on Netflix, I knew I had to read it before watching. I did not realize that this was a short novel - only a bit over 5 hours on audio - but it was perfect in length and the story was not what I expected but in a good way!

1922

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