Stephen King's 10 Best Non-Horror Tales
3. The Body
Even if you've never heard of this novella, there's a good chance you know it, given that it was adapted into the film classic Stand By Me, and is one of those adaptations that is relatively faithful to the source material. That tends to be key for making King novels work on the big screen.
The tale of four boys who set out on a mission to find the body of a child believed to have been hit by a train, The Body is the quintessential coming of age tale. Yes, it has the scene with the leeches, and the pie eating contest scene, which could be considered gross, but that's not at all what the book is about at its core.
It's one of the best "Castle Rock" tales by King, which more or less ended with the novel Needful Things. It features an appearance by town badboy Ace, a cast of characters unique and relatable to the reader, and is a story that best represents the concept that "it's not about the ending itself, but about the journey."
If you haven't actually read the story, which is part of the collection Different Seasons, featuring four novellas by King (only one of which is horror), you should. It's well worth it.