Summary

In the introduction to “Drunken Fireworks,” King writes about a woman who recognized him at a grocery store. She identified him as the man who wrote scary stories. She said she preferred uplifting stories like Shawshank Redemption. King told her that he wrote that novel too, but she did not believe him.

King warns his reader that he has no use for genres. He likes to write a variety of different styles, but does not care for the term “local color” (448). He writes that the story “Drunken Fireworks” grew from a story he heard told about a fireworks arms race on a lake in Maine.

The story “Drunken Fireworks” is presented in the form of a statement given to Police Chief Andrew Clutterbuck by resident Alden McCausland.

Alden tells his story to the chief in a meandering way beginning with the death of...