Stephen King Fans discussion

Discuss this story here!






(view spoiler)[ Tess is a successful cozy mystery writer who appears at a speaking engagement at a library in Chicopee, Massachusetts. After the event, Ramona Norville, a librarian who had invited Tess to the event, tells Tess to avoid Interstate 84. Instead, she gives Tess the directions to Stagg Road, a presumably safer shortcut to Tess' home in Connecticut. However, as Tess takes the shortcut, her Ford Expedition rolls over pieces of wood with nails that lie across the road, giving her a flat tire. The place where the incident happens is by an abandoned Esso gas station.

Shortly afterwards, an enormous man in a pickup offers to assist Tess. However, Tess realizes that the driver had set out the road hazard. He knocks Tess out, proceeding to brutally rape and beat her before finally choking her to unconsciousness. She later wakes up and feigns death as he stashes her body and drives away. After the man has left, Tess escapes, but sees several other murdered women victims of the same man. Tess walks to get help but as she continues her walk, she realizes that the attack will create a scandal, that she will be assaulted by the media, with people commenting that "she asked for it" or that "she enjoyed it", with her name as an author dragged through the mud. She decides she cannot endure that, and instead goes home without telling anyone.

Later, she uses the detective skills she acquired while writing her novels to find the rapist , who turns out to be "Big Driver"'s brother, "Little Driver," and kill him. She also kills his two accomplices—his brother ("Big Driver"), and his mother, librarian Ramona Norville. Tess comes to terms with her sins and heads home. (hide spoiler)]

This is, by far, my absolute favorite story in FDNS!
There's just something about it..

Big Driver was fun + creepy. My favorite character was Goober the dog.

This one is my second favourite in the collection. It was pretty shocking (view spoiler)[ The rape was very scary and brutal, and I loved the revenge part :) I liked that it wasn't the guy she thought it was. (hide spoiler)]

This was my second favorite and I agree with Jessica completely. That part was very unpleasant to read.

Finished - what a sick family. Actually it doesn't seem right to even call 'that' a family. Very creepy.

Just a thought - (view spoiler)[The killing of 3 'people' felt less guilt ridden than the killing of one in 1922. Is it because I'm jaded with all this murder or maybe the 3 creeps needed killing? (hide spoiler)]

Very unpleasant story, and the constant acknowledgement of Jodie Foster's movie throughout proves that King was coasting here. I didnt like this at all.

My least favorite of the stories and I agree with Agrimorfee's post that King was coasting here. He uses a clichéd plot (rape/revenge) and an even more clichéd character (she's an author, King has used that one one too many times).
I also found the main character's habit of talking to herself quite ridiculous - she makes her cat talk, her GPS also? Is that supposed to be cute? It isn't.
The main character likens herself to Jodie Foster in the movie The Brave One, but she doesn't even come close. Foster's character only took matters into her own hands when the police proved ineffective. The woman in Big Driver, on the other hand, does something incredibly stupid - (view spoiler)[she does NOT report her rape to the police. And then kills 2 extra people apart from her rapist. That goes beyond "an eye for an eye". (hide spoiler)]

Luis wrote: "My least favorite of the stories and I agree with Agrimorfee's post that King was coasting here. He uses a clichéd plot (rape/revenge) and an even more clichéd character (she's an author, King has ..."

I see your point, maybe she does go too far, but perhaps that's meant to signify how strong the need for revenge can be. And that traumatic events can send people a bit loopy to the extent where they won't think strait and do the right thing (view spoiler)[ which in this case, as you said, would have informing the police. But instead the fact that she kills 2 extra people expresses her rage and the force of revenge. (hide spoiler)]

I'm just getting close to the end of the first story but it reminds me, just a little, of Secret Window. Especially when the main character in Secret Window buries his wife in the corn field. I think dropping the wife down the well is a little less creepy, however. :)

Agrimorfee wrote: "Very unpleasant story, and the constant acknowledgement of Jodie Foster's movie throughout proves that King was coasting here. I didnt like this at all."

It could just be me, but I don't recall there being a "constant acknowledgment" of Jodie Foster and The Brave One. I know that it's mentioned a couple times toward of the end of the novella, but otherwise, no, I don't think so..
And BTW, the story isn't supposed to be pleasant.

Dustin wrote: "Agrimorfee wrote: "Very unpleasant story, and the constant acknowledgement of Jodie Foster's movie throughout proves that King was coasting here. I didnt like this at all."

It could just be me, b..."

exactly. it made me uncomfortable and sad for our 'heroine'.. sad that she felt she couldn't trust anyone enough to talk about it or report it. such a devastating act. i dont feel that it was a constant acknowledgement of anything other either. not sure where that came from. It wasn't my favorite out of the book, but it was not the worst.

I could not wrap my mind around the way the main character chose to handle her situation. I felt that it was a bit of stretch but the story was good nevertheless. I actually felt terrified for her when she was finding her way through the dark. I thought the bad guy was going to jump out at any second. Crazy story.

Sadly many women who are raped really do try to hide it and handle it without outside support many even block it mentally for years. It really isn't all that far fetched she'd go about handling it this way actually.

That makes sense to me...I guess what bothered me about it in this case was that there were other victims that were not being reported. By the end it all made better sense but getting through it was a little rough.

My least favorite in the collection. Brutal rape scenes are very unpleasant to read, I can stomach almost anything else. This is why I didn't like it. The revenge aspect was interesting, but overall not King's best short, IMO.

Amanda wrote: "Sadly many women who are raped really do try to hide it and handle it without outside support many even block it mentally for years. It really isn't all that far fetched she'd go about handling it ..."

You are exactly right, Amanda. Thank you.

Terrific story. Brutal but effective.

I really enjoyed this story!

(view spoiler)[ I thought this story was very good. Mind you the topic is hard to read about. But it something like this has crossed my mind before. I drive everywhere because I hate to fly. I am about to drive from CO to Washington DC next month. Then from CO to CA in July. Drive Drive Drive. So I do think of my tire going flat me being all alone out there (though those two trips my husband will be with me).
I can't decide if I am glad she killed them or if Tess should've went to the police? I kept thinking she should have but then I wasn't sure!! I myself have never seen The Brave One so I can't really reference that in my mind. The only one that keeps coming to mind is where Jodie Foster gets raped in the arcade. But I am not sure if that is the same movie. I can understand how Tess would feel after being raped. Not entering the road afraid the next car would be the rapist (Goonies anyone when they got out on the road and it's the bullies). I have never been in such a traumatic event but these types of things must make some people go bananas. Like those men who kill women who are pregnant by them? Rapes must happen a lot but I guess they don't usually end like this.
I also think someone famous would want to hide that they were raped. I wonder if she will be caught someday? (hide spoiler)]

Finished Big Driver over the weekend and thought that it was a very good tale overall. I do agree with the comments that she was stupid not to involve the authorities at all, perhaps it would have made more sense if she would have contacted the police only to have it go nowhere before seeking her revenge. Other than that the only other thing that bothered me about the story was how she referred to other characters by their last name after meeting them. A couple of times I had to check back to see who she was talking about.

As for the comments about the cliche/overused plot and character's profession, that really doesn't bother me. This was a well-written tale and if it happens to contain the over-used rape/revenge plot involving yet another author, so-be-it. That doesn't change the fact that the story and characters were engaging and fit what the author wanted to do with it. How many tales did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle write containing a detective and his accomplice solving mysteries that ended up becoming a series of classic English literature? The subject matter and details of a story matter less than what the author actually does with that subject matter and those details in order to make them his/her own in that particular story.

Stefan wrote: "Finished Big Driver over the weekend and thought that it was a very good tale overall. I do agree with the comments that she was stupid not to involve the authorities at all, perhaps it would have ..."

I agree.. the characters professions didn't bother me and neither did the over-used plot. I thought it was really well told.

this was a great story, just read it this afternoon (couldnt put it down)

I did smile though when Goober the dog appeared

What happened to the heroine was horrible--kudos to Stephen King for that. And I enjoyed the unfolding of the investigation and the various personalities. This was really engaging and my favorite story in the collection so far (read second, third, and fourth).

King refers to The Last House on the Left--

(view spoiler)[I've watched both version of The Last House on the Left and the earlier 1960 film they're based on.

In this story, unlike those, I'm not sure the villains received their "just desserts". 'Little Driver' raped and killed many women, even children, and in the end he got a quick bullet to the brain. She set sail on the vigilante path because simple justice and ending their killing spree was not enough. But it seems they were punished less by her than a court would do. (Serial killers tend not to receive the gentlest treatment within the prison system. Just ask Jeffrey!)
(hide spoiler)]

I foresaw--

(view spoiler)[Both of the brother twists, but I forgave her not realizing given her mental state. (hide spoiler)]

Ron wrote: "What happened to the heroine was horrible--kudos to Stephen King for that. And I enjoyed the unfolding of the investigation and the various personalities. This was really engaging and my favorite s..."

Sometimes I wonder about the whole rumors that so and so don't get treated well in the prison system. I hear that about serial killers, and child molesters. What exactly does this mean? I am just curious because people say it a lot. And how do we even know about this? Do prisoners come out and say it?

Angie wrote: "Ron wrote: "What happened to the heroine was horrible--kudos to Stephen King for that. And I enjoyed the unfolding of the investigation and the various personalities. This was really engaging and m..."

There is a code among prisoners that child murderers and molesters are the lowest of the low and that such offenders are to be treated badly by the other prisoners, which includes beatings and gang rapes. Yes, former prisoners have admitted this goes on but so have prison guards and administrators. It's not just a rumor.

Gatorman wrote: "Angie wrote: "Ron wrote: "What happened to the heroine was horrible--kudos to Stephen King for that. And I enjoyed the unfolding of the investigation and the various personalities. This was really ..."

Especially when it comes to children, many prisoners do NOT look highly upon that, because many of them have children themselves.

I just finished Big Driver this morning, and WOW..

(view spoiler)[ I think this story was so different than 1922, but that's just me. It was really interesting how King portrayed Tess after the rape. I look at situations like that, and I think everyone is different, and everyone's reactions to abuse, rape, death, etc. are all different. I don't even know if Tess knew how she would react to what happened to her, before it happened. I don't think any of us know how we would react. Do I think she did the right thing? That's hard...When I think about how many people are raped, and how many unreported incidents there are, and how many are not caught, tried, and punished...it makes me think she did do the right thing. On the other hand, I almost think she didn't do the right thing because of the victims in the culvert. I almost think she should have told authorities because of the possibility of him/the family going to jail. Then, I think, many times, rapists aren't found or the case isn't given priority by authorities, so she needed to take matters into her own hands. I don't know..I go both ways on that part.

As for the family themselves...What a bunch of sick, screwed up people. I mean, what kind of person does that to a woman? Then, what kind of brother would let that happen to innocent people, but also play a part in it? Then, the mother who leads people to her KNOWINGLY rapist, sadistic, murderer of a son? You have to be completely off your rocker.

In the end, I don't think she got caught. I think the 'voices' she heard were obviously her own conscious helping her through the process, and I think ultimately, helped her cover her tracks. I think the stress from the situation brought on the voices and was her way of dealing with it all. I think even though she did kind of go insane, the voices and the thought process helped keep her sane, and get her back to sanity. Maybe that doesn't make sense to other people, but I hope it does. Maybe the killings of the three were also her 'closure' of the situation.

Okay, I'll get off my soap-box. haha! All in all, I thought this was a great story. I think it addressed some serious subjects, and King, again, did it well without being tacky. (hide spoiler)]

It all makes PERFECT sense, Kathryn!:)
I also believe that Tess's auditory hallucinations served as defense mechanisms. Indeed, they kept her sane.

Stefan wrote: "Finished Big Driver over the weekend and thought that it was a very good tale overall. I do agree with the comments that she was stupid not to involve the authorities at all, perhaps it would have ..."
It is good to note that it matters not what the tells, but how they tell it. There are only so many plots but a good author finds new ways to reveal and tell the story. Stephen King to me is a master at telling the tale. I read him to see how he twists and writes out the heroe's tale.

Luis wrote: "My least favorite of the stories and I agree with Agrimorfee's post that King was coasting here. He uses a clichéd plot (rape/revenge) and an even more clichéd character (she's an author, King has ..."

Maybe, we are too see an author, the character here, falling apart mentally. We at first may trust her intentions, she keeps repeating that she is a good person, but then she falls apart in the end.

Jamie wrote: but getting through it was a little rough. I agree but this story is about rape and rape is not easy. I think we are supposed to have a tough time of it.

I agree with Dustin I also believe that Tess's auditory hallucinations served as defense mechanisms. Indeed, they kept her sane.

Good revenge story, not as good as Dolan's Cadillac but still very enjoyable

I feel like this story was strictly for the purpose of 'shock & awe'. It is meant to make us feel uncomfortable and sick to the stomach. It bothered me to read, but at the same time it was King through and through so i loved it.

Gregory wrote: "I agree with Dustin I also believe that Tess's auditory hallucinations served as defense mechanisms. Indeed, they kept her sane. "

Thank , Gregory.:)

Jonathan wrote: "I feel like this story was strictly for the purpose of 'shock & awe'. It is meant to make us feel uncomfortable and sick to the stomach. It bothered me to read, but at the same time it was King thr..."

I think that Big Driver is the type of story that should make the reader uncomfortable...and King does a superb job, IMO.

Dustin wrote: "Agrimorfee wrote: "Very unpleasant story, and the constant acknowledgement of Jodie Foster's movie throughout proves that King was coasting here. I didnt like this at all."

It could just be me, b..."

If you have to mention it at all, you're on thin ice because people will think you're ripping that off. The heroine even watches that movie on DVD, I believe, so, ew.

I feel embarrassed to say this... but I loved this story

Josiah wrote: "I feel embarrassed to say this... but I loved this story"

I know exactly what you mean, Josiah. It's my personal favorite of FDNS.

This story was just crazy.So brutal and so intense that I couldn't put down.
Just thinking book happens somewhere in late 2000's or something like that (because girl had picture of Obama on her desk) so maybe on the end police figure out by forensics who was the killer.
You can't commit perfect murder and get away in this modern age.

Veka wrote: "This story was just crazy.So brutal and so intense that I couldn't put down.
Just thinking book happens somewhere in late 2000's or something like that (because girl had picture of Obama on her..."

I was thinking the same thing when I read it the first time.

Just saw a movie teaser for Big Driver. Will be on Lifetime, October 18th. Maria Bello, Olympia Dukakis, Joan Jett and Will Harris to star. Google has article from The Hollywood Reporter that also mentions Cell is in post production...Bad Little kid was optioned and a re-adaptation of It!?!

I cant wait.

Just saw a second trailer...I think its going to be good.

Now I really wonder about King.All books I recently read by King has female charachters who had brutal and horrible experiences.I thought Big Driver was just traumatic but tbings happening to female charachters in Under The Dome was much worse.I really thought never again after Big Driver I will never cry again over fictional charachter from book but I did again and probably will again in next book written by Stephen King.

For those in the UK Big driver is on channel 5 on the 30th of December

Rhian wrote: "For those in the UK Big driver is on channel 5 on the 30th of December"

Thanks very much, Rhian!

No problem Reenie I'm really looking forward to seeing it

Just thought I'd remind everyone in the UK that Big Driver is tonight @ 9pm on Channel 5 (followed by Needful Things, if you want).

(Thanks again Rhiannon for letting us all know)

I can't wait to watch them both I haven't seen needful things in years