Stephen King’s Favorite Book Is Lisey’s Story — and It’s Surprising

Stephen King has named Lisey’s Story his favorite among his own books. He adapted the novel into a 2021 miniseries, writing every episode, with Julianne Moore starring in the title role. The choice stands apart from more commonly cited favorites such as The Stand, The Shining and It.

At its core the novel follows Lisey as she tries to make sense of her life after the death of her husband, Scott Landon, a writer. She discovers notes and spaces tied to his work and embarks on a quest that pulls together memory, grief and a strange other dimension.

The book is often sentimental, occasionally messy, and openly confronts mortality. King began the story after a bout of pneumonia left him in the hospital; his wife Tabitha had tidied his workspace while he recovered, and that image of a place made ready for someone’s absence became the seed for the novel.

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