Never Look Behind You
| "Never Look Behind You" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Chris Chesley and Stephen King | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | People, Places and Things |
| Publication type | Anthology |
| Publisher | Triad Publishing |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | 1960 |
"Never Look Behind You" is a short story by Chris Chesley and Stephen King. It was self-published by Chesley and King in 1960 as part of the collection People, Places and Things.
Plot summary[edit]
An "old miser"[1] and "usurer"[2] named George Jacobs is counting his money when an old woman dressed in rags with a scarred face enters his office behind him. As Jacobs finishes counting his money, the woman tells him "too bad you won't be able to spend it". After Jacobs turns around to confront the woman, she raises her hand, killing Jacobs with "a flash of fire on his throat".
Following Jacobs' death, an unnamed character queries what killed him, while another states that he is glad that Jacobs is dead. The latter character is described as "lucky" as "he didn't look behind him".
Publication[edit]
"Never Look Behind You" was written by Chesley and King in the summer before beginning high school.[3][4][5] It was self-published in 1960 as part of the short story collection People, Places and Things,[2][6] which was mimeographed by Chesley and King.[7]
Reception[edit]
Rocky Wood describes People, Places and Things as "juvenilia" but with "clear hints of the King to come". Reviewing "Never Look Behind You", Wood comments that "it is the punch line that makes the story."[2] Michael R. Collings states, "In approach, content, theme, and treatment [the stories] clearly suggest directions the mature King would explore in greater detail...".[8] Tyson Blue describes "Never Look Behind You" as "an intriguing little tale not so much for what it says as what it does not say".[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Blue, Tyson (1989). The Unseen King. Borgo Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-5574-2072-5.
- ^ a b c Wood, Rocky; King, Stephen (2017). Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished. Overlook Connection Press. pp. 225–231. ISBN 978-1-892950-59-8.
- ^ Beahm, George (1998). Stephen King from A to Z: An Encyclopedia of His Life and Work. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 114, 156–157. ISBN 978-0-8362-6914-7.
- ^ Rolls, Albert (2008). Stephen King: A Biography. ABC-CLIO. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-313345-73-9.
- ^ Spignesi, Stephen J. (2018). Stephen King, American Master: A Creepy Corpus of Facts About Stephen King & His Work. Permuted Press+ORM. p. 357. ISBN 978-1-682616-07-9.
- ^ Wood, Rocky (2017). Stephen King: A Literary Companion. McFarland & Company. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-7-86485-46-8.
- ^ Wilson, Suzan (2000). Stephen King: King of Thrillers and Horror. Enslow Publishers. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-766012-33-2.
- ^ Collins, Michael (2002). Horror Plum'd: An International Stephen King Bibliography and Guide, 1960-2000. Overlook Connection Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-892950-45-1.
