Thinner

Frequently asked questions

• Was Thinner originally published under King's name?

  No. Thinner was first published in 1984 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. King used this name to publish additional books without flooding the market, since his publishers believed one King novel per year was the maximum readers would accept.

• How was the Bachman pseudonym revealed?

  Steve Brown, a Washington DC bookstore clerk, noticed stylistic similarities between Bachman's prose and King's, and researched the copyright records for Rage, which were filed under King's name. He contacted King's publisher and King confirmed the identity in 1985, just as Thinner was climbing the bestseller lists under the Bachman name.

• How many Bachman books exist?

  King published five books as Richard Bachman before the pseudonym was exposed: Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982), and Thinner (1984). The Regulators (1996) was later released as a Bachman book alongside Desperation. Rage was taken out of print at King's own request after it was cited by several school shooters.

• What curse drives the plot of Thinner?

  Billy Halleck, an overweight attorney, runs over a Gypsy woman while his wife distracts him. As he walks away from the scene, an elderly Gypsy elder touches Billy's cheek and whispers a single word: 'Thinner.' Billy begins losing weight at an accelerating, unstoppable rate—a mirror-image horror in which thinness becomes as terrifying as obesity.

• Is this book part of a series?

  This is a standalone novel, though it was originally published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, a name Stephen King used to release books outside of his primary publishing schedule.

• Is there a film adaptation of this book?

  A film adaptation directed by Tom Holland was released in 1996, with a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Tom Holland. Stephen King, who wrote the novel, was not a screenwriter on the film.