When asked what he thought his best work was, King said it was Lisey's Story. Not The Shining or The Stand, but a more recent work. "That one felt like an important book to me because it was about marriage," he revealed. "Id never written about that." Lisey's Story features a plot about an author who suddenly passes away and leaves his wife, the Lisey of the title, in the wake of a huge mystery - an idea that King conjured up when he pondered what would happen to his study in the wake of his death. Lisey's Story was met with mostly positive reviews upon its release, but it's one of the King books you rarely hear about (and one that nobody but diehard King fans seem to have read). Which is a shame, of course, as this isn't the Lifetime drama that the title suggests - it's a dark and scary novel, with some truly horrific moments. If the pacing is a little lackluster at times, the twists and turns and acute narrative details make up for it. It might not be one of King's five best novels, but you could make an argument that Lisey's Story deserves to be considered in the top ten. Like this article? What do you think of these picks? Got any other Stephen King novels to add to the list? Let us know all your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
