When an old gypsy man curses Billy Halleck for sideswiping his daughter, six weeks later he's ninety-three pounds lighter. Now Billy is terrified. And desperate enough for one last gamble...that will lead him to a nightmare showdown with the forces of evil melting his flesh away.
Thinner (Signet)
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'An incredibly gifted writer, whose writing, like Truman Capote's, is so fluid that you often forget that you're reading' -- Guardian 'Astonishingly good...honourable, deeply felt and almost wonderful' -- Independent on HEARTS IN ATLANTIS
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Stephen King, the world's bestselling novelist, was educated at the University of Maine at Orono. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, and their children in Bangor, Maine.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I liked this book. A lot. Stephen King is good at writing lengthy novels that don't really scare, but make you think "Hey, that was pretty damn cool". This book isn't very long; but that seems to be of little importance. The fact is that of all the books Stephen King has written, this is the one with the scariest ending. Gypsy curses and the overall moral message of the book "You Are Responsible For Your Actions!" all come to a nice crescendo. An actual feeling of horror (ok, maybe not horror but a feeling of unease) sticks with you after you read the book. There is actual impact in retrospect of this book. It will bother you (provided you possess a soul). By the way, DO NOT SEE THE MOVIE FIRST!!!! It will ruin the book. Read the book first, then watch the horrible movie. If not for anything other than the small part the author plays.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I just finished listening to this audiobook, and I really don't know where AudioFile gets off slamming Joe Mantegna's performance. He did a wonderful job with the different character's voices, especially the old gypsy and mobster. His performance certainly kept me entertained while commuting to and from work.
Stephen King also did an admirable job, and I enjoyed the book a lot. It has its warts, but overall it was a clever parable about revenge and indulgence. There was really only one scene that gave me an, "Oh, come on!" reaction, and that was when the main character conveniently encounters the retiree in the bar who tells him the anecdote about the gypsies. What were the chances that in such a crazily crowded resort town that Billy would run into this guy? Kind of thin, I would say. The ending of the story was also a bit predictable, and I think King relied way too heavily on dream sequences as a plotting device.
But still, it was a pretty good book. I particularly admired King's invention of the Italian mobster character as a way to escalate the story's conflict without exacting a price against our sympathy for the main character. If it had been Billy Halleck committing all those deeds--poisoning dogs, shooting cars full of holes, and threatening to kill pretty young women--then we would've liked him a lot less. But by assigning those actions to a secondary character who reacts to these events with shock and abhorrence, the story could advance and leave our sympathy for the main character intact.
Even then, those clever mechanisms of characterization weren't enough for me to completely like Billy Halleck. From the beginning, he was a repellant character: an overweight lawyer who, through his town's good ole boy network, escaped a vehicular manslaughter conviction. That's a tall deck to stack against your own protagonist at the beginning of a story and still hope to generate reader sympathy. And yet King still managed to make me like Billy, somewhat, through most of the book.
The only other thing I have to say is that I wish the character of the young, pretty gypsy girl hadn't just dropped off the map towards the end of the story. Yes, she served her purpose well, but there was such a great setup about her that I wish she could have taken a more meaningful role towards the end.
Stephen King also did an admirable job, and I enjoyed the book a lot. It has its warts, but overall it was a clever parable about revenge and indulgence. There was really only one scene that gave me an, "Oh, come on!" reaction, and that was when the main character conveniently encounters the retiree in the bar who tells him the anecdote about the gypsies. What were the chances that in such a crazily crowded resort town that Billy would run into this guy? Kind of thin, I would say. The ending of the story was also a bit predictable, and I think King relied way too heavily on dream sequences as a plotting device.
But still, it was a pretty good book. I particularly admired King's invention of the Italian mobster character as a way to escalate the story's conflict without exacting a price against our sympathy for the main character. If it had been Billy Halleck committing all those deeds--poisoning dogs, shooting cars full of holes, and threatening to kill pretty young women--then we would've liked him a lot less. But by assigning those actions to a secondary character who reacts to these events with shock and abhorrence, the story could advance and leave our sympathy for the main character intact.
Even then, those clever mechanisms of characterization weren't enough for me to completely like Billy Halleck. From the beginning, he was a repellant character: an overweight lawyer who, through his town's good ole boy network, escaped a vehicular manslaughter conviction. That's a tall deck to stack against your own protagonist at the beginning of a story and still hope to generate reader sympathy. And yet King still managed to make me like Billy, somewhat, through most of the book.
The only other thing I have to say is that I wish the character of the young, pretty gypsy girl hadn't just dropped off the map towards the end of the story. Yes, she served her purpose well, but there was such a great setup about her that I wish she could have taken a more meaningful role towards the end.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
THINNER, which was originally written in 1984, is a very effective novel. I've read most of King's books, and I would place this one in the top half. This book isn't necessarily horrific or scary, but it's pretty suspenseful. Unlike some of King's later books, this novel is short and tightly written, and it kept me interested until the very end.
This novel deals with a overweight lawyer who is rapidly growing thinner, due to a curse inflicted upon him by gypsies. THINNER is unique in the sense that the main character is not a particularly heroic person, and in many ways is trying to escape responsibility for his own actions. This may turn off some readers, but I enjoyed this story's moral complexity. The ending of THINNER won't please everyone, but I felt it was appropriate and consistent with the overall point of the storyline.
This novel isn't a classic, but it's a solid effort by one of the best genre writers around. Highly recommended for King fans.
This novel deals with a overweight lawyer who is rapidly growing thinner, due to a curse inflicted upon him by gypsies. THINNER is unique in the sense that the main character is not a particularly heroic person, and in many ways is trying to escape responsibility for his own actions. This may turn off some readers, but I enjoyed this story's moral complexity. The ending of THINNER won't please everyone, but I felt it was appropriate and consistent with the overall point of the storyline.
This novel isn't a classic, but it's a solid effort by one of the best genre writers around. Highly recommended for King fans.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
This book once again confirms that Stephen King is the master at spinning a great yarn! I highly recommend it if you enjoy King's work.
Published 2 days ago by John B. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
A quick fast read. recommended if you have never read a stephen king book. Short dark and extremely fun too read.
Published 2 months ago by Schrock
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thinner, by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)
For years and years I always named THINNER one of my top favorite Stephen King novels. Of course, I was going from the memory of having read it in high school, most likely my... Read more
Published 3 months ago by C. Dennis Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars
THINNER
Way better than the movie. Typical King - once you think you know the ending he throws you a curve.
Published 4 months ago by Keith Wines
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true horror story
Good horror, I guess, is sort of the negative of true comedy.
Whereas true comedy is a series of delights leading to that final and satisfying one that concludes the... Read more
Whereas true comedy is a series of delights leading to that final and satisfying one that concludes the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Steve Reina
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad
So I saw the movie years ago and thought it was just ok. Needless to say I hardly remember the movie. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chris Brunner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Thrilling. Good ending. Twisted. A lot of things I did not expect. Some things I did not want to happen. But good
Published 4 months ago by aly bowling
2.0 out of 5 stars
Thinner
I wasn't really a big fan of this book, which puts me in the minority. I like a lot of King's other works, Different Seasons and The Shining were terrific. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Reynard
5.0 out of 5 stars
great condition
Book in great condition ... Shipping was quick. thanks you for the book. Can't wait to start reading it and place with my collection...
Published 4 months ago by Juan
5.0 out of 5 stars
And then he cut himself a slice of pie.
A nice quick read. Loved the twists and turns. Goes to show every single action has an equally twisted reaction.
Published 5 months ago by GothicMom
