Thinner

Thinner is a horror novel by American author Stephen King, published in 1984 by NAL under King's pseudonym Richard Bachman. The story centers on morbidly obese lawyer Billy Halleck, who, driving carelessly, kills an old Romani woman while she is crossing the street. He escapes legal punishment due to his connections, but the woman's 106-year-old father then curses Halleck to physically waste away, and the lawyer must find a way to undo the curse. King, who was overweight at the time of the novel's writing, created the novel’s outline following an annual medical examination. Following the book's release, media outlets discussed the similarities between the works of Bachman and King. Eventually, bookstore clerk Stephen Brown, a fan of King's work, located evidence from copyright data held in the Library of Congress that Bachman and King were the same person. After the secret of King's pseudonym was revealed, sales of Thinner increased tenfold. In total, over three million copies of Thinner have been sold. Critical reception to Thinner was polarized; some reviewers disliked the authorship deception and pessimistic ending, while others held these same points as merits of the book. The literary style, however, was generally praised. A film adaptation was released in 1996. Plot Billy Halleck is a successful, arrogant lawyer known for his chronic obesity and sleazy manner. While driving across town he is distracted by his wife Heidi giving him a handjob and runs over an elderly Romani woman, killing her. Billy exploits his connections with the local police and courts to avoid punishment. The woman's father, Taduz Lemke, exacts vengeance by cursing Billy outside the courthouse — using the word "thinner" — and Billy begins to lose weight rapidly regardless of how much he eats. Worried and suspecting cancer, Billy consults a series of doctors, but they are unable to determine the cause of his weight loss. Later, Billy discovers that the judge who cleared him of manslaughter charges has been disfigured by hideous scales growing on his skin, while the policeman who committed perjury on Billy's behalf is now stricken with itchy and uncontrollable acne. Both men eventually commit suicide out of shame for their malformed appearances. With the help of Richie "The Hammer" Ginelli, a former client with ties to organized crime, and information provided by private detectives, a now emaciated Billy tracks the Romani band north along the seacoast of New England to Maine.