Trying Something New: Gwendy’s Button Box
Something a bit unusual for me today, a Stephen King novel. Yes, really. I’m stepping away from my usual reads and dipping my toes into the deep, unsettling waters of Castle Rock. I fear this may be the beginning of a slippery slope… one that leads to a mountain of new books demanding my time, my wallet, and what’s left of my sanity.
Let’s take a look at my first King experience: Gwendy’s Button Box.
Book Details
Title: Gwendy’s Button Box
Authors: Stephen King & Richard Chizmar
Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 171
Commercial Fluff
Castle Rock, Maine: a town with a long history of odd visitors and strange happenings, though some stories have remained buried. Until now.
In the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson climbs the infamous Suicide Stairs every day, determined to get in shape and escape the bullies who haunt her school life. But one morning, as she reaches the top, a stranger in black calls her over. Polite. Mysterious. Possibly terrifying.
He offers her a gift: a small wooden box covered in buttons and levers, and a warning that will follow her for years. From that moment on, Gwendy’s life begins to twist in ways she never could have expected.
Gwendy’s Button Box is a chilling return to Castle Rock, written by horror legend Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. Published exclusively by Cemetery Dance with no other editions planned.
The Review
A mysterious box. A handful of buttons. A sprinkle of dread. And now? I’m hooked.
This was my first visit to Castle Rock, and I devoured the novella in a single sitting. It felt strange reading an author who’s so new to me yet so famous everywhere else, and even stranger reading something set so close to our modern era. Refreshing, though. Like stepping into a familiar world, but with the lights slightly dimmed.
Gwendy herself is instantly relatable: a slightly overweight twelve-year-old trying to improve her life, escape bullies, and find her place in the world. Then the man in the black suit appears, a figure straight out of a nightmare with a hat that will haunt you if you think about it too long, and hands her the most unusual gift imaginable.
A box that offers daily chocolates. A lever that produces rare silver coins. And buttons… each tied to different continents. Each ominous. Each dangerous. What do they do? Should they ever be pressed? Why does the box feel so heavy with consequences?
King and Chizmar keep the tension beautifully subtle, the kind of slow-burn dread where nothing bad is happening, but you know something could. At any moment. And that’s what makes the story so compelling.
Watching Gwendy grow up with the box, make choices, avoid temptations, and wrestle with responsibility feels like reading a series of “what if?” scenarios:
What if she refused the box?
What if she’d kept taking the chocolates?
What if her friendships had unfolded differently?
The whole book plays with possibility, fear, and the strange weight of power.
I genuinely can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try Stephen King. If this is the quality of his shorter work, I’m absolutely diving into more. Please send me your recommendations below! What King novels should I tackle next?
As always, thank you for reading.
