Thinner

Title: Thinner

Author: Richard Bachman

Published in: 1984

Date read: 9th February 2020

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Psychological, Supernatural

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Thinner," published in 1984 under Stephen King's pseudonym Richard Bachman, is a dark and chilling horror novel that explores the themes of unchecked privilege, casual cruelty, and the terrifying consequences of ancient curses. It's a morality tale wrapped in a visceral supernatural revenge plot.

The story centres on Billy Halleck, a morbidly obese, complacent, and self-satisfied lawyer living in Fairfield, Connecticut. Billy is prosperous, married to the beautiful Heidi, and enjoys the perks of his position, including the occasional shortcut with the law.

One night, while driving home, distracted by his wife's attempt to give him a sexual favour, Billy accidentally hits and kills Susannah Lempke, an elderly Romani woman who was crossing the street. Despite the clear negligence on his part, Billy, leveraging his connections and the leniency of a corrupt judge (who is a friend), manages to escape conviction with a ridiculously light sentence for vehicular manslaughter.

As Billy leaves the courthouse, Susannah's ancient, menacing Romani father, Taduz Lemke, confronts him. With a chilling touch to Billy's cheek, Lemke utters a single, guttural word: "Thinner."

Initially, Billy dismisses the old man's words. However, he soon begins to lose weight at an alarming and uncontrollable rate, despite eating voraciously. What starts as a welcome change for his health quickly turns into a horrifying curse. He sheds pounds daily, his clothes hang off him, and he becomes gaunt, skeletal, and monstrously emaciated. Doctors are baffled, unable to find a medical explanation for his rapid, unending decline.

As Billy's body wastes away, he realizes the truth: he has been cursed by Taduz Lemke, a practitioner of dark Romani magic, for his role in his daughter's death and his evasion of justice. The curse is designed to be a slow, agonizing revenge, making him pay for his crime with his very life.

Desperate to save himself, Billy eventually seeks out Taduz Lemke and the Romani camp, begging for the curse to be lifted. Lemke, however, is unyielding and reveals the chilling conditions under which the curse might be transferred. Billy must take a pie, imbued with the curse, and pass it on to someone else, who will then begin to "thin."

The novel transforms into a brutal psychological thriller as Billy, driven by his own survival instinct and moral decay, grapples with the terrifying choice of who to inflict the curse upon. It’s a study of how easily a seemingly ordinary man can be pushed to commit monstrous acts when faced with a supernatural threat. The ending is grim and darkly ironic, highlighting the cyclical nature of revenge and the horrific consequences of escaping justice.

Comments:
Now I have to be honest that early on in the book, I was a little bit jealous. As a rather large gentleman, I quite fancied the idea of weight falling off me no matter how much I ate, I also imagine that the users of Ozempic around the world would like it too. Shortly after that, however, Bachman (King) makes you change your opinion. Great book.

Books that we've read by Richard Bachman (6):
Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1978), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982), Thinner (1984), Blaze (2007)