Gwendy's Button Box

By Richard Chizmar and Stephen King

Book Overview

The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told... until now.

There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974 twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong (if time-rusted) iron bolts and zig-zag up the cliffside.

At the top of the stairs, Gwendy catches her breath and listens to the shouts of the kids on the playground. From a bit farther away comes the chink of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball as the Senior League kids practice for the Labor Day charity game.

One day, a stranger calls to Gwendy: "Hey, girl. Come on over here for a bit. We ought to palaver, you and me."

On a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat like for a suit, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat...

Journey back to Castle Rock again in this chilling new novella by Stephen King, bestselling author of The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and Richard Chizmar, award-winning author of A Long December.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587676109
• ISBN13: 9781587676109
• Release Date: May 2017
• Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications
• Length: 170 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Very 90s Style

I haven't read Stephen King in about 20yrs. This was a great book to get my toes wet, back into Stephen Kings books. I really enjoyed it; it reminded me of movies and the Goosebumps Books of the 90s. Gwendy's character definitely reminds of you of what it's like to be a teen. I hope to start book 2 or the trilogy this week.

Perfect for a relaxing breakaway.

The story is so engrossing and easy to read...it's thought provoking and yet a short piece that anyone could commit to. I loved the subtle darkness of the story that makes the reader think "what would I do?".

Nice easy king read

Nice little read for king fans

Fantastic Novella!

Welcome back to Castle Rock, Maine, home to numerous Stephen King stories. Clearly nothing bad is going to happen here. Gwendy is twelve when she meets the man in the little black hat. A slightly pudgy girl, Gwendy is determined to slim down before school starts up in the fall. The Man in the little black hat seems to know all about her, and he offers her guardianship of a strange little box with multicolored buttons. The Man explains that the box controlls everything. And while it will give her what she needs, it can also take things away. This is a perfect little book, only 175 pages, but Chizmar squeezes a hell of a lot of stuff into this book. We see Gwendy grow up, and the relationship between her and the mysterious box grows and changes with her. The box is almost like a character in and of itself, a constant, lurking presence suffusing the entire story with a subtle menace. Gwendy herself is a fully realised character, complex and sympathetic. I know most people either love or hate short stories and novellas, but if Gwendy’s Button Box is an indication of what the genre can do, then bring ’em on!