Herbst & Winter. Zwei Novellen: Stand by me/Atemtechnik

Although it is separated into two different books in its Spanish edition, I consider "Four Seasons" as one of King's short story collections, so for me it is a 5-star work.

For me, the ranking of the stories would be:

- Winter's Tale (The Breathing Method): This last story won me over with the feeling of discomfort, terror, and sadness that Emlyn McCarron's account of Sandra Stansfield's willpower during her childbirth after being decapitated gave me. In addition, it has references to the Dark Tower that made me excited, as the Club where all these stories are told could be one of the floors of the Tower, a place outside of time and space, another dimension that the "members" visit and of which one cannot speak freely, as we saw that almost happened to David Adley when he asked Stevens, the immortal butler of the club, too many questions.

- Hope, Eternal Spring (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption): This story made me feel that anything is possible, gave me hope to overcome all adversities and know that in the end everything can turn out well. The story of Andy Dufresne, told non-linearly by Red, left me with a great sense of satisfaction knowing that an innocent person can escape from prison despite the injustices of the system and all the adversities. That letter that Red reads at the end and those last decisions he makes made me cry.

- Summer of Corruption (Apt Pupil): The story of the boy Todd Bowden and the former Nazi, Kurt Dussander, made me think about how terrible human beings can be, the inhuman acts that they can commit. These characters corrupt each other over the years, the boy being corrupted until he becomes a serial killer, being psychologically destroyed until he is killed in a shootout, and the Nazi reliving his old days of glory until he is discovered and forced to commit suicide.

- Autumn of Innocence (The Body): Although it is the slowest of the four stories, I don't think it's bad. I consider that the message it leaves us is one of the most important. The story of how Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy undertake that long expedition to find the body of Ray Brower is a metaphor for the passage from childhood to adulthood and, as we are told at the beginning of the story, sometimes the most important things are the hardest to tell or share with others. Remembering the things we did or thought in the past and that today seem so distant and absurd can be scary, it makes us think that nothing that happens in youth is forever, like the friendship of these 4 boys, of whom only Gordie is still alive in his adult stage. The sad story of Chris, who tries to overcome all the obstacles that life put in his way, who doesn't want his other two friends to drown Gordie by keeping him tied to a mediocre life and who finally ends in a tragic way, made me sad.

The Body:

Method of Breathing:

In conclusion, the second book of Four Past Midnight has not been my best reading. I took a long time to finish it, but still, this compilation of stories is very much worth it. Stephen King's narration is impeccable, especially the construction of characters, and they make these 4 tales very recommendable.

A pesar de que originalmente este libro se publicó en una sola edición en su versión en inglés, en castellano lo dividieron en dos libros. En este tomo se encuentran los relatos de otoño, El cuerpo, e inverno, Método de respiración.

El argumento del primero es bastante conocido, gracias a la adaptación realizada por Rob Reiner en la década de los 80, en la película Stand by me. De este relato se pueden rescatar los matices de inocencia de un grupo de niños que emprenden un viaje para encontrar un cadáver. El argumento no es tan potente como la simbolización del paso de la adolescencia a la adultez. Los personajes son todos niños atormentados que viven en hogares duros y disfuncionales. La historia conmueve y hace reflexionar. Está escrita en clave de nostalgia y transita en las ideas de la amistad, la traición, la familia y el aprendizaje personal. Todo esto a través de la corta travesía de unos amigos adolescentes que caminan durante dos días el trayecto de un tren para ver un cuerpo al que la vida le ha sido arrebatada.

Al segundo relato no lo conocía, y me sorprendió gratamente. Es quizás el más corto de todos y mezcla un ejercicio metaliterario. Uno de los personajes cuenta la historia de una ocasión en que conoció a una mujer soltera embarazada, a quien atiende como su médico y a quien enseña un método de respiración ideado por él, que al final le salvaría la vida a su hijo. El final es inquietante y el manejo de la intriga hace que la historia se lea frenéticamente.

Estas cuatro estaciones muestran las capacidades de King como contador de historias, alejándose de los cánones del terror y el suspenso, y adentrándose en tramas profundas con personajes inolvidables. King demuestra una versatilidad que lo hace destacar como uno de los grandes autores de nuestra época.