Big Driver
Encyclopedia
Big Driver is a novella
by Stephen King
, published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars
(2010).
. After the event, Ramona Norville, a librarian who had invited Tess to the event, tells Tess to avoid Interstate 84
. Instead, she gives Tess the directions to Stagg Road, a presumably safer shortcut to Tess' home in Connecticut
. However, as Tess takes the shortcut, her Ford Expedition
rolls over pieces of wood with nails that lie across the road, giving her a flat tire. The place where the incident happens is by an abandoned Esso
gas station.
Shortly afterwards, an enormous man in a pickup offers to assist Tess. However, Tess realizes that the driver had set out the road hazard. He knocks Tess out, proceeding to brutally rape and beat her before finally choking her to unconsciousness. She later wakes up and feigns death as he stashes her body and drives away. After the man has left, Tess escapes, but sees several other murdered women victims of the same man. Tess walks to get help but as she continues her walk, she realizes that the attack will create a scandal, that she will be assaulted by the media, with people commenting that "she asked for it" or that "she enjoyed it", with her name as an author dragged through the mud. She decides she cannot endure that, and instead goes home without telling anyone.
Later, she uses the detective skills she acquired while writing her novels to find the rapist , who turns out to be "Big Driver"'s brother, "Little Driver," and kill him. She also kills his two accomplices—his brother ("Big Driver"), and his mother, librarian Ramona Norville. Tess comes to terms with her sins and heads home.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars
Full Dark, No Stars
Full Dark, No Stars, published in November 2010, is a collection of four novellas by the author Stephen King, all dealing with the theme of retribution...
(2010).
Synopsis
Tess is a successful cozy mystery writer who appears at a speaking engagement at a library in Chicopee, MassachusettsChicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in...
. After the event, Ramona Norville, a librarian who had invited Tess to the event, tells Tess to avoid Interstate 84
Interstate 84 (east)
Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway extending from Dunmore, Pennsylvania at an interchange with Interstate 81 to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at an interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike . I-84 has mile-log junction numbering in Pennsylvania; otherwise, exit numbers are roughly sequential...
. Instead, she gives Tess the directions to Stagg Road, a presumably safer shortcut to Tess' home in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. However, as Tess takes the shortcut, her Ford Expedition
Ford Expedition
The Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV built by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced in 1997 as a replacement to the Ford Bronco, it was previously slotted between the smaller Ford Explorer and the larger Ford Excursion, but as of the 2005 model year, it is Ford's largest and last truck-based,...
rolls over pieces of wood with nails that lie across the road, giving her a flat tire. The place where the incident happens is by an abandoned Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
gas station.
Shortly afterwards, an enormous man in a pickup offers to assist Tess. However, Tess realizes that the driver had set out the road hazard. He knocks Tess out, proceeding to brutally rape and beat her before finally choking her to unconsciousness. She later wakes up and feigns death as he stashes her body and drives away. After the man has left, Tess escapes, but sees several other murdered women victims of the same man. Tess walks to get help but as she continues her walk, she realizes that the attack will create a scandal, that she will be assaulted by the media, with people commenting that "she asked for it" or that "she enjoyed it", with her name as an author dragged through the mud. She decides she cannot endure that, and instead goes home without telling anyone.
Later, she uses the detective skills she acquired while writing her novels to find the rapist , who turns out to be "Big Driver"'s brother, "Little Driver," and kill him. She also kills his two accomplices—his brother ("Big Driver"), and his mother, librarian Ramona Norville. Tess comes to terms with her sins and heads home.