Rest Stop-JAS

[Angie, Constant Reader]

Discuss this story here!

[Julianne]

I liked this one. I wasn't sure where he was gonna go with it. Funny, I read it as I was on a 5 hour car ride, so the rest stop thing was kinda ringing true for me.

The idea of using another persona to give you the courage to do the right thing.

I also thought he captured pretty well how the woman (Ellen?) would have reacted...

[Stephanie]

I agree with Julianne, he did catch the woman's reaction really well. It was more realistic than how one would expect it to be written (either she sobs and thanks her hero or beats him about the head, this was a good realistic middle ground- a woman who realizes that she was saved, but also that she has allowed herself to be trapped and has now been confronted with the reality of having to start over)
I also liked that the attacking man WASN'T as stereotypical as the writer thought he would be. It's really self reflective. How would King have written the man? Would he have made him more stereotypical? Maybe. I kindof feel like he was the writer in the story himself, and decided to make himself wrong. "No, this guy isn't who I expected him to be." He looks harmless, but having heard him before seeing him now the writer knows the man better than probably most of the guy's friends do.
Oh yeah, I also like how he was weirded out at how he was able to think up "Drunkalonians" in that short space of time. I bet King actually feels that way when he thinks of weird sh!t like that.

[Angie, Constant Reader]

I have to admit the first 4 or 5 pages of this story I was confused. I thought he was a big rig driver the way he was talking like he traveled everywhere, then it turns out he was driving a Jag! After 5 pages then I was into it. I liked that the abused woman didn't want her husband? hurt. I think that really captures what can happen to people sometimes. Oh and Drunkalonians is great! Love that!

[Kelly]

I also enjoyed this story. We've all stopped at a rest area at night, and this is so plausible that it could possibly happen. I am listening to it on audio so it took a few to realize that Harding was him. Other than that, I thought the ending was pretty mild.

[Tim (Mole) The Gunslinger]

All in all pretty realistic when I read it I was wondering myself what I would do in that situation being from a small town in Illinois I think id almost have to fuck up this woman beater or get my ass kicked trying the reasoning behind my small town comment is that we still believe in helping people almost obligated while people from bigger cities mind there own!

And his abused woman and her reasoning oh how true its sad how abused people protect there abusers!

[John]

Sometimes I have wondered what I would do in a situation like that. Men tend to have a superman ego, "I would bust some ass and take some names", but in reality I would have the same debate that King's character did. Geez...do I really want to get involved?...what if he has a gun?...what if I chicken out...Same reasons I dont pick up hitch hikers...you never know. Good story.

[Angie, Constant Reader]

One of the things I liked about this one just like what Mole and others said is that it is a really realistic story. And something we have all asked ourselves now and then... would I step up and help, or just leave to avoid problems. Same thing when you see a car wreck, do you help? Do you talk to the police that you saw what happened? Next thing you know you'll be subpoenaed to court to testify.

[Eric]

I thought the horror in this was in the reality of it. A woman fighting against a guy who is trying to help her from getting beat up is the type of thing that seems to happen for real these days. A woman so dependant on her man that she depends on the beating, as well, to feel alive. She views it as normal and doesn't want to be saved. Crazy.

[Kathy]

This was a really good story. Very realistic, but as Eric stated, thats where the horror lies in theis story. I thought it was interesting with the main character and his "writing" alter-ego. It reminded me a bit of The Dark Half. It didn't go to that extreme, obviously, but it did remind me of that.

[Kandice]

I have no idea why, but this story actually made me cry. No, I am not a battered woman, but I HAVE known a few, and her not wanting her man hurt was so sad and pitifully real. This was my favorite story of the collection. Nothing much happened, and there was no real horror or supernatural aspect, but it really touched me.

[Mirabeau]

Anybody knows what the Drunkalonians refer to? Please teach me if there is one.

[Maria]

It's a spoof on a Bible book. He mentions Second Drunkalonians - sort of like 2nd Thessalonians in the Bible. CLASSIC SK!