Elevation, Stephen King

Title: Elevation
Author(s): Stephen King
No. of pages: 160
Genre: Mystery
Publication date: October 30th 2018
Date read: November 10th 2018

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Synopsis

Castle Rock is a small town, where word gets around quickly. That’s why Scott Carey wants to confide only in his friend Doctor Bob Ellis about his strange condition: he’s losing weight, without getting thinner, and the scales register the same when he is in his clothes or out of them, however heavy they are.

Scott also has new neighbours, who have opened a ‘fine dining experience’ in town, although it’s an experience being shunned by the locals; Deidre McComb and her wife Missy Donaldson don’t exactly fit in with the community’s expectations. And now Scott seems trapped in a feud with the couple over their dogs dropping their business on his lawn. Missy may be friendly, but Deidre is cold as ice.

As the town prepares for its annual Thanksgiving 12k run, Scott starts to understand the prejudices his neighbours face and he tries to help. Unlikely alliances form and the mystery of Scott’s affliction brings out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.

From master storyteller Stephen King comes this timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences. Compelling and eerie, Elevation is as gloriously joyful (with a twinge of deep sadness) as ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’
(Goodreads)

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Review

Elevation was a quick and entertaining read – I could’ve easily finished it in one day! I really liked the concept of Scott’s story and that part got me on the edge of my seat. What would happen if he finally lost all his weight? And what is the cause of this supernatural condition?

The other part of the story, Scott’s relationship with his neighbours Deidre and her wife Missy, was something that bothered me a little. Scott, the straight white American man, ends up as the “rescuer” of the gay couple. It really felt like they couldn’t have integrated into the society of Castle Rock by themselves. They “obviously” needed the help of Scott to accomplish this. Now I’m not LBGTQ+ myself, so I’m not exactly the one to judge this, but I heard someone who is mention this and I thought it was important to keep in mind while reading. On the other hand, it was all only an act of kindness, so I’m still a little divided on this part.

All in all though, like I said earlier: Elevation is a nice and quick read and I really liked the ending. It’s not King’s best, but it’s definitely worth a read!