"Finn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published on Scribd on May 25, 2022. It was collected in King's 2024 book, You Like It Darker.
| "Finn" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Stephen King | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Scribd |
| Media type | Digital, audiobook |
| Publication date | May 25, 2022 |
Plot summary
Finn Murrie, a young Irish man, experiences frequent bad luck while growing up, including having a little toe blown off by an errant cherry bomb at the age of five, breaking his arm by falling from monkey bars at the age of nine, and suffering a concussion from a lightning strike at the age of 14. His grandmother tells him that God will give him two bits of good luck for every bit of bad luck.
At the age of 19, while running home from his girlfriend's house, Finn collides with a similarly dressed young man. After he resumes running, he is bundled into a van by several men and tranquilised. He awakens in a cell, where he is tortured via loud music continually playing. Later, he is brought before a white-haired man, Mr. Ludlum, who believes that Finn is actually "Bobby Feeney". Rejecting Finn's protests that it is a case of mistaken identity, Mr. Ludlum quizzes Finn as to the location of a briefcase. After Finn continues to protest, Mr. Ludlum slaps him, then gives him a crudely written pamphlet titled "World-Approved Techneeks [sic] for Advanced Interrogation". Later, Finn is waterboarded by Mr. Ludlum's men, with Mr. Ludlum now demanding the location of a bomb factory and blueprints.
After Finn is brought before Mr. Ludlum again, Mr. Ludlum offers him a full Irish breakfast in return for Finn naming three songs by Elvis Presley. Mr. Ludlum's men "Doc" and "Pando" take him to a kitchen where a plate of food awaits, but then drag him back into the van. Doc and Pando tell Finn that the mushrooms in the breakfast were poisoned, and mention that most of Mr. Ludlum's men have abandoned him. Several hours later, Doc and Pando eject Finn from the van in his hometown, giving him four thousand euros "for your trouble".
While walking home, Finn passes Pettengill Park, where as a child he broke his arm and enjoying playing on a playground slide known as the "Twisty". Remembering the story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Pierce, Finn wonders if he has really been set free, or if he is imagining his emancipation while drowning from a waterboarding or while having fallen into a coma after being knocked over by Feeney. Climbing to the top of the Twisty, Finn rationalises that "Either I'll still be here when I get to the bottom, or I won't be", then begins to slide down.
Publication
"Finn" was first published on Scribd on May 25, 2022 in ebook and audiobook format.[1][2] In 2024, "Finn" was collected in King's book You Like It Darker.[3]
Reception
Writing in USA Today, Barbara Vandenburgh described "Finn" as a "darkly funny, unsettling tale".[4] Also writing in USA Today, Brian Truitt described "Finn" as a "playfully quirky mistaken-identity piece".[5]
See also
References
- ^ King, Stephen. "Finn". StephenKing.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Stephen King to publish new short story with Scribd on May 25". PR Newswire. April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "You Like It Darker". StephenKing.com. 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Vandenburgh, Barbara (April 26, 2022). "Exclusive cover reveal: Check out Stephen King's unsettling new story 'Finn' on Scribd". USA Today. Retrieved May 29, 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.