Needful Things by Stephen King (1991)

Laura’s Rating: 3/5 Stars

I read this book back in high school and it was one of my first encounters with Stephen King’s writing. I have to say I remember enjoying it a bit more the first time and lowered my rating upon my recent re-read.

The Analysis:

The book is set in the small fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. The residents are excited when a new shop moves in on Main Street called Needful Things, run by the kindly Mr. Leeland Gaunt. It seems like Mr. Gaunt happens to have exactly what each person in the town is looking for. His items are very reasonably priced - as long as the buyer is willing to do a small favor for Mr. Gaunt. These favors seem like meaningless pranks: throwing mud at drying laundry, planting a stink bomb, or planting parking tickets. After a while, the ripple effects of these relatively harmless tasks start to mount, pushing Castle Rock closer to the edge of disaster. It turns out that the network of relationships and resentment in the town is fragile and many citizens are willing to go farther than one might expect in order to obtain their priceless possessions from the new store.

I found the book interesting as a commentary on the dynamics of small towns. There is a lot of history between the residents of Castle Rock and tensions boil just below the surface. I read Needful Things for a book club and most of the other members were not big fans. One criticism was that the things people cared about in the book were insignificant. I think this is true but works well to enhance the point that when there are already tensions and suspicions, seemingly insignificant actions can have huge consequences.

I know why I had given this book a higher rating the first time around. Needful Things has a great premise: A mysterious shop that charges customers in favors and the exploration of how those favors impact the town. The setup and general outline is intriguing but the final product could have been better. There are too many characters to keep track of and Stephen King supplies more information than the reader needs, adding excessive length. The book didn’t hold up after a second read through and while I wouldn’t discourage someone from reading it, I wouldn’t recommend Needful Things to everyone either.