Premium Harmony

by Stephen King, Steve Powers (Illustrator)

They’ve been married for ten years and for a long time everything was O.K.—swell—but now...

http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/feat...

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Ebooks, Drama, Audiobook, Contemporary

5 pages, ebook

First published November 9, 2009

About the author

Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story held my interest even if I wasn't quite sure where it was leading to. Still, it was a good way to pass the time.

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!

this explanation/intro will be posted before each day’s short story. scroll down to get to the story-review.

this is the FOURTH year of me doing a short story advent calendar as my december project. for those of you new to me or this endeavor, here’s the skinny: every day in december, i will be reading a short story that is 1) available free somewhere on internet, and 2) listed on goodreads as its own discrete entity. there will be links provided for those of you who like to read (or listen to) short stories for free, and also for those of you who have wildly overestimated how many books you can read in a year and are freaking out about not meeting your 2019 reading-challenge goals. i have been gathering links all year when tasty little tales have popped into my feed, but i will also accept additional suggestions, as long as they meet my aforementioned 1), 2) standards.

if you scroll to the end of the reviews linked here, you will find links to all the previous years’ stories, which means NINETY-THREE FREEBIES FOR YOU!

2016: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2017: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2018: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reviews of these will vary in length/quality depending on my available time/brain power.

so, let’s begin

DECEMBER 19

They’ve been married for ten years and for a long time everything was O.K.—swell—but now they argue. Now they argue quite a lot. It’s really all the same argument. It has circularity. It is, Ray thinks, like a dog track. When they argue, they’re like greyhounds chasing the mechanical rabbit. You go past the same scenery time after time, but you don’t see it. You see the rabbit.

this is going to be one of those quick n' dirty reviews, as i read the story and am writing this all on my wee lunch break. this story's first part is an unpleasant couple bickering and being cruel in that half-assed, exhausted way of a couple long past their romantic expiration date. the second part is a character's opportunity for regret and self-recrimination, challenge unaccepted.

the best thing about this story is what it does to the reader, putting forth a test of emotional engagement: do you care more about humans or dogs? i'm not sure if i passed or failed, but i felt FAR more ache for Biznezz than for mary. to the extent that i just had to go back to the story to remember her damn NAME.

sorry, people. dogs win all day.

read it for yourself here:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

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DECEMBER 14 GOODREADS ERASED THIS STORY AND MY REVIEW FROM THE SITE, SO IF YOU REALLY WANT TO READ IT, IT IS HERE. THANKS.
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come to my blog!

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Premium Harmony is a depressing short story by Stephen King about a couple who have grown to hate each other. It has fat shaming too. Yeah!

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short little story without a supernatural element. This is one of my least favorite stories in the collection the Bazaar of Bad Dreams so far.

A husband and wife are looking for a gift and we see that there is stress in the relationship between the 2. The ending is a bummer all around. Very well told, of course. Simply, a real story, but not much fun.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok...but why the dog?

[Ellen Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought, "what could be better for my new years eve short story binge than a Stephen King?"

Many, many things would have been better.

[Ruth Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Collected in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams)

A quick, easy read, but a little disappointing.

CONNECTIONS:

Castle Rock – “It’ll be on the wrong side coming back,” she says—as if they are caught in a torrent of city traffic instead of rolling through an almost deserted little town where most of the stores are for sale." :(

Not a connection, but it made me smile. “Penny wise and pound foolish,” he says. “You ever hear that one?”

Oxford - Oxford Plains (Nona)

St Stevies – St Stephen’s Memorial Hospital (Under The Dome)

[Davyne DeSye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quirky little story… Not one of my favorite of Stephen King’s but quite typical of his work.

This short story is set in Castle Rock, like so many of his other stories. It focuses on the somewhat less-than-perfect relationship between a man and wife, neither of whom is happy with the other (and in all likelihood, neither has been for quite some time). The astounding thing to me is how much of their relationship you can imagine and extrapolate from a stop at a convenience store on the way to Wal-Mart.

In usual King fashion, it ends a bit morbidly, although somehow – and I feel a little sick and guilty saying this – a bit funnily.

After I finished this one, I couldn’t keep the Wicked Witch of the West’s voice (from Wizard of Oz) out of my head: “And your little dog, too!” But you’ll have to read the story to find out why. :)

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this actually.

[Dusan Prvacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is terrifying because it can happen to all of us, and what's even more terrifying - there's a huge probability that it will.

Even though it's from 1994, it still perfectly describes a pointless modern-day (lower) middle class marriage and the whole mindset behind it. King goes straight to the point (as always) and says what all people in failed marriages and relationships often think but dare not say. I still dare not say these things out loud, although I've been guilty of having the exact same thoughts during my life, just as many of you have as well, I'm sure.

There is nothing paranormal in Premium Harmony this time round, but paranormal has never been the point of King's novels and stories - it's always the earthly, internal, human horrors and weaknesses that hit us in the end, and the paranormal is there just as an icing on the cake.

This short story has been published in The New Yorker, and you can read it for free here:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A man and his wife bicker a lot while driving. They stop off at a Walmart; she suddenly dies because she's fat. He thinks about how that other fat girl probably wants him. I start to get really uncomfortable with how mean spirited the story is. Luckily it ends around that point which I thought was pretty thoughtful of it.

[Licha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite sure what the point of this story was. Not really sure this adds up to a story. It didn't really go anywhere.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is no discernible point to this story except to showcase that Stephen King just really hates fat women. In fact the way he speaks about women in all of his books is usually disgusting, and although I used to idolize his writing as a kid the older I get the more I realize what his true values are as a person by reading the bits and pieces he lets bleed through in his stories. Honestly, I despise this particular short story especially because it only leaves you with a negative feeling in the pit of your stomach. There’s nothing else. It’s easy to write something vile to make people feel bad and then end it right there, but it’s transcendent to write something that can tear through your emotions but still bring you back up again. There was nothing of value to me in this story. It was a story where a bad thing happened that was dealt with badly and made you feel bad at the end of it. I’d say that’s a bad story if I’ve ever seen one.

[Chantel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward, I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on the death of an animal, grief, promiscuity, the death of a loved one, & others.

Devoted to the pursuit of knowledge & psychological fortitude, I endeavour into the words of authors whose works have not granted me medals in either category, nor would I have granted them in return. Rather tirelessly, I have found my patience waning as I walk the laneway of stories written as though by mistake & floundered with praise I find disconsolately undeserving.

One might wonder whether it is the reader’s right to decide what literary piece merits praise, fondling adoration, & gratuitous admiration. Although I will rightfully acknowledge that no one story will be appreciated by all readers, there is a particular essence of King’s stories that I find lacking altogether & therefore am left flummoxed, once again, at the proclivity of his roster.

Surely, having now read more than a handful of his short stories & having attempted, in earnest, to read a few of his novels, I should take the hint that King’s imaginings are not my cup of tea. It is easy to wonder at my lack of a stealthy blade that severs the author from my shelves; perhaps I have sliced our skins but others, namely those readers around me who do adore King, have found my amputation contrary to their ambitions.

Indeed, this story was read in the company of a reader who was raised in a home where King was praised & adored. Perhaps I should thank her here, for bringing me back to something I dislike, basked in her enthusiasm for the father of her literary admirations, that I too might wander the nestled & quaint town of King’s horror & love his terrors, too.

In essence, this is a story about the demarcation of respect, the death of love, &—as is typical for King—the horror of the female body. The couple that features as primary characters in this story seem to despise one another. Their conversations are long-winded & continuous arguments where nothing is said without the intention to cause harm.

Neither character is ready to move on from their relationship. It is made clear to the reader that neither has truly given any thought to moving away from their marriage; they’ve both invested in their home, they need to sell it to be more budget-conscious, yet their future seems bleak if they do not decide to plan out ways to be kinder to one another.

Typically, a story endeavours to share something with the reader. In some cases, one may find that the plot is not necessarily profound in the philosophical sense but that the author has incorporated enough substance to leave a reader with material to reflect upon. This story does not offer readers much of anything but King’s tragically typical tropes involving women & their physical person.

Whereas the story follows the, alleged, head of the house—the husband—the female characters in this story play something like a shadowed role in his world which is odd given he is meant to be an adult person with experience of the world around him.

Readers may ponder the nature of a man who is as shallow & trite as the narrator. He voices inner discontent for his wife, after she gained weight & as she seems to be struggling with secret eating, yet the reader witnesses both characters utilize their last strengths to torment the other person, leading one to feel conflicted with the sympathy that begins to fester within them.

It would be natural for a person to believe that the husband is being held against his will in a situation with a person who has nothing but negative things to say about him. Although I can & do appreciate that leaving toxic situations is no easy feat, the narrator does not seem inclined to even toy with the reality he contributes to. Often, he voiced his awareness of the weight of other women & conceded that these women would be interested in pursuing sexual relations with him if he so chose. I am left wondering what this contributes to the story at writ large.

Certainly, the narrator is a person with little going for them. He dislikes his wife, his wife dies, he causes the death of their dog due to neglect; he is not an individual with dreams & goals he seeks to achieve, rather, he wades through the story seeking opportunities to reflect & insert negative reflections about his wife & their life.

What does this contribute to the story? Is the story meant to be about a man who could not rationalize the changing weight & physical features of his ageing wife? Is the story meant to be about a man who is seeking to discount every aspect of his wife in order to give himself the boost he needs to leave?

Highlighted here is my main point of contention with the story. Although King seems to have wanted to simply induce a familial story within the fictional world of his wet dreams, he put no effort into enticing the reader to his plight. Perhaps one may wonder whether this is in fact a requirement. Do authors need to consider their readers when drafting a plot? Does it matter if the fiction that exists in the author’s mind sees no traction on the page?

What is odd to me is that the story itself is plainly predictable. The wife dies in the corner store & then the story ends, following a mildly anticlimactic roam about dialogue by the narrator. He is thereby freed from the snarls of his wife’s clutches. What will the main character do now that he has no need for the negativity he assumed his wife brought into his life?

Although readers will rightfully assume that the narrator’s wife did indeed bring him negativity, one would also be correct in noting that he himself was the profiter of such exchanges. Whereas he might well have decided that he no longer wished to engage with someone who intentionally misunderstood him & someone who had changed into a person he no longer felt physically attracted to; he chose instead to heave sullen remarks her way & plague his person with the redundant dance of a lack of effort towards change.

What is the reader to conclude from this story? Will one decide that King has presented readers with a simple plot whose sole purpose is to explore the delineated experiences of other people? Will readers find themselves happy or sad that the narrator’s wife died? What will be felt concerning the innocent life of the dog who perished in the scalding heat of the car?

Ultimately, I find that within this story, no room for insight or intelligent ruminating has been given their say. Readers may find that the termination of the legally bound relationship has granted the narrator the freedom to coalesce with his morbid desires to be longed for by other women & to roam the streets a free man from debt & vice.

What then happens to the narrator? Does he suddenly become a person who understands that villainy is a useless endeavour or did he adore the gibs he gave his wife? Will he adopt a dog or did the death of their final bind unravel him from the knot he helped tie?

I cannot say that this will be the last story by King I ever read. I am sure that somewhere down the road, I will encounter another reader who brings one of his stories to my door, where I will kindly allow them to charm the tendrils of a dead octopus’ body, pretending that I, too, appreciate what King has brought to the literary world, all the while unlocking my mind from its cavern to wader the skies in search of that which I have found more depravingly pleasant, specifically, good storytelling.

If you would like to read this story, please visit this •LINK•

[Tom O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this homage to Raymond Carver, as Stephen King himself styles it. A fractious relationship reaches a point of no return. Simple, sour and effective.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read – short, sad, sour, to the point, and utterly brilliant. It's about pushing relationships past that breaking point and the regret that comes when there is no going back.

[Jonathan Pongratz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review at Jaunts & Haunts

4/5

I gave this short story four bickering stars! (Believe me, you'll understand when you read it)

Okay, so you're probably wondering what Swiss Rolls and a pack of cigs have to do with this story. Well, actually, quite a bit, but let's not focus on that.

This short story is essentially about a husband and his wife taking a drive through Castle Rock. They stop by a general store of sorts to pick a thing or two up and things commence from there. Staying spoiler free is going to be hard, so I'll just leave the summary at that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was short and entertaining. I basically took this story as a cautionary tale of how bad a relationship can get.

While I've never been married, I found the conversation between Ray and his wife to be interesting if not somewhat hilarious and depressing at the same time. They've been married for years, and I wondered to myself if all couples fight like this. I certainly haven't fought with any of my ex's quite like they did.

Anyways, their fighting reminded me of a bunch of old birds picking at each other. So much so that I actually thought Ray and his wife were a lot older than was said later in the story. I do find something of a flaw in that since by then I had a completely different mental image of the two of them fighting in the car.

The plot for this story was super simple but well-written and enjoyable, ending on a relatable, bittersweet note.

Ultimately, I'd recommend this short story to anyone. It's free, it's entertaining, and it's Stephen King. What have you got to lose?

Definitely worth a quick read!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story with a sense of dark humour by Stephen King originally published in The New Yorker in 2009. A story of a husband and wife who have a bit of a difficult time living with each other, until a 'comically horrifying' situation takes place at a convenience store. SK dedicates this one to Raymond Carver, from the time of his writing when he had read more than a dozen of his tales. A decent story that speaks about the horrors of effects of bad habits and bad relationships.

[Jude Connolly · Rating 1 out of 5]

nothing new to come out of this short story. just more of stephen king's good ol' misogyny & misery with bored shock factor better told in other stories. sometimes I think he used to just sit around staring out the windows thinking about how much he hated his wife and how interesting he obviously really thought that was.

[Alaa Ibrahim]

I saw every scene perfectly.

[Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Stephen King, but this was just weird and sad.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Penny wise and pound foolish,” he says. “You ever hear that one?”

A story set in Castle Rock, about a couple in a car in the hot August sun. Funny in a way, and well written. It can be read as the author's take on fatty degeneration with some anti-Cuio-ish ending.

Free to see on The New Yorker website.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, free read about a middle-aged, out-of-shape, bickering couple. Mary makes a run to buy a cheap ball for her niece's birthday and never comes back. This gives Ray some sort of peace, bordering in happiness. It could be the story of a billion lives.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

[Cookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to from The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Audio begins at 1:55 and ends 2:21. Not sure if I'll listen to the entire book, so taking it one story at a time.

King's commentary about authorial writing style prior to this short is far more interesting than the story itself.

[Manda Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this story on The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.

[Cristina | Books, less beer & a baby Gaspar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a very short tale, of a "comic" and horrifying situation, that ends up in great relief. I enjoyed the writing, as always :)

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this years and years ago. Probably the first thing I ever read by Stephen King and it was still as good (and sad) the 2nd time round.

[EHR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love a bit of dark twisted humour.

[Allegra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Always a bickering couple. Always the wife's death. Always a little mean spirited for no reason other than a good laugh. It's a way to pass the time I suppose but really? Is there nothing else?

[Steve Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are short stories even worth reading?