The Fifth Step
| "The Fifth Step" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story by Stephen King | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Genre(s) | Horror short story | ||
| Publication | |||
| Published in | Harper's Magazine | ||
| Publisher | Doubleday | ||
| Media type | Print, digital | ||
| Publication date | 2020 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| |||
"The Fifth Step" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 2020 issue of Harper's Magazine. It was collected in King's 2024 collection You Like It Darker.
Plot summary[edit]
Harold Jamieson is a 68-year old widower and retiree living in New York City. While reading the New York Times on a bench in Central Park one morning, he is approached by "Jack", an alcoholic salesman who is attempting to complete Alcoholics Anonymous' twelve-step program. Jack has reached step five - "admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs" - and at the behest of his sponsor has approached Jamieson, a stranger, to ask him to listen to his admissions.
After Jamieson agrees to listen, Jack lists his various wrongdoings, which include fighting with another student in fourth grade for no reason, stealing alcohol from his mother, buying alcohol for a homeless man, cheating at Brown University, smuggling cocaine over the Canadian border, lying to his employer, and lying to his wife. Jamieson becomes uneasy after Jack describes having wanted to beat his wife after she argues with him about his drinking.
As Jack prepares to leave, he confesses to Jamieson that he murdered his wife, then stabs Jamieson between the ribs with an ice pick. As Jack leaves Jamieson–seemingly dying–on the bench, he admits that he enjoys killing people, describing it as "the chief of my wrongs".[1]
Publication[edit]
"The Fifth Step" was originally published in the March 2020 issue of Harper's Magazine.[1][2] In 2021, "The Fifth Step" was collected in the book Best Crime Stories of the Year edited by Lee Child.[3] In 2024, "The Fifth Step" was collected in King's book You Like It Darker.[4]
Reception[edit]
The website EverythingStephenKing.com described "The Fifth Step" as "a nice story, well told" - noting "King's ability to create believable characters and situations has not diminished over the years" - but also as "forgettable" with a predictable ending.[5] Reviewing You Like It Darker for Bloody Disgusting, Jenn Adams suggested that "The Fifth Step" would "likely prove terrifying to those in Alcoholics Anonymous" but "feel[s] slight and may not evoke the same powerful response in readers without similar life experiences."[6] Writing for USA Today, Brian Truitt described "The Fifth Step" as having "one heck of a slowburn reveal",[7] while SFX described "The Fifth Step" as an "entertaining short sharp shock".[8] Writing in The New York Times, Gabino Iglesias described "The Fifth Step" as "a literary shanking — it's fast and violent in equal measure."[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b King, Stephen (March 2020). "The Fifth Step". Harpers.org. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ Vincent, Bev (2022). Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. becker&mayer! books. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-7-60376-82-9.
- ^ Child, Lee (2021). "The Fifth Step". Best Crime Stories of the Year. Vol. 1. Head of Zeus. ISBN 978-1-8-01105-71-2.
- ^ "You Like It Darker". StephenKing.com. 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ "A Review: The Fifth Step". EverythingStephenKing.com. April 4, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ Adams, Jenn (May 20, 2024). "Stephen King's 'You Like It Darker' finds beauty and hope in nihilistic horror". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Truitt, Brandon (May 21, 2024). "Review: Stephen King knows 'You Like It Darker' and obliges with sensational new tales". USA Today. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "You like it darker". SFX. May 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024 – via Readly.
- ^ Iglesias, Gabino (May 31, 2024). "4 New Horror Books to Read, Including Stephen King's Latest Collection". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
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