Man oh man. This book is a big fat fatty so I’ve been nervous to read it because large books intimidate me. I always fear I’m going to get bored and/or overwhelmed with the length. After finishing, it was evident I had these fears for NO GOOD REASON AT ALL.

When Leland Gaunt moves to Castle Rock and sets up his shop Needful Things, residents are intrigued. The shop becomes even more enticing when residents find out the items are seemingly affordable and tailored to their specific interests. As the novel progresses, it’s evident the residents got more than they bargained for. In true King style this story turns horrific on a dime, making it impossible to put down.

The book starts slow initially giving painstaking details about the town’s many characters. At first, I was like hmm this seems absolutely unnecessary get to the scary shit please but, as a I read on and events started to heavily unfold, the most minute details were woven into the larger more sinister events that unfolded.

King repeatedly refers to Castle Rock residents feeling revulsion when making physical contact with the proprietor of the new shop Needful Things, an eeriness no one can quite put their finger on. This running theme throughout the book paired with the unraveling of Mr. Gaunt from cheerful proprietor to demanding destroyer made this story extremely difficult to put down. As if this wasn’t enough, the characters are so intricately intertwined, I felt like a bird on a wire watching Mr. Gaunt’s terrible domino affect make its way through Castle Rock one by one. HIGHLY recommend this book! So so so good.