Elevation
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
From legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting story about “an ordinary man in an extraordinary condition rising above hatred” (The Washington Post) and bringing the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine together—a “joyful, uplifting” (Entertainment Weekly) tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences, “the sign of a master elevating his own legendary game yet again” (USA TODAY).
Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.
In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face—including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.
“Written in masterly Stephen King’s signature translucent…this uncharacteristically glimmering fairy tale calls unabashedly for us to rise above our differences” (Booklist, starred review). Elevation is an antidote to our divisive culture, an “elegant whisper of a story” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), “perfect for any fan of small towns, magic, and the joys and challenges of doing the right thing” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Divorced web designer Scott Carey is rapidly and mysteriously losing weight, with no corresponding change in his appearance; his response is one of ecstatic serenity, not fear or horror. Meanwhile, Castle Rock—Stephen King’s oft-revisited and unsettling imaginary Maine town—is roiled by a series of homophobic events, which capture Scott’s attention and inspire him to action. With Elevation, King once again demonstrates his intimate mastery of the preoccupations, rhythms, and absurdities of small-town American life. A departure from his usual nightmare-inducing surrealism, this buoyant novella reads like a fable, one that’s capable of lifting spirits and inspiring tears.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this surprisingly sweet and quietly melancholy short novel, King (The Outsider) weaves an eerie, charming tale of the ways that strange circumstances can bring people together. Scott Carey is losing weight, but not mass, and there's no scientific explanation for it. Scales register him as lighter and lighter, though his body remains as potbellied as ever, and the effect is constant regardless of what he's wearing or holding. Shaken by his untreatable, supernatural ailment, Scott begins to notice the world around him and particularly becomes aware of the nasty prejudice that other residents of Castle Rock, Maine, are inflicting on his lesbian neighbors, Deirdre and Missy. He sets out to fix the injustice ailing their small town, and maybe make some friends along the way. This is a lilting ode to the ineffable power that crises hold to change and mold those involved into something new. King's tender story is perfect for any fan of small towns, magic, and the joys and challenges of doing the right thing.
Customer Reviews
Everyone’s a critic
Learning to make peace with whatever horror life throws at you isn’t a bad lesson to take to heart; eventually, we all drift off alone into the void.
Different Sort of King Story
This book felt a bit different from many of King’s tales in that while the (kinda spoiler) ending felt sad it was also uplifting. Also no odd explanation of WHY the character went on his particular journey, which can sometimes feel clunky (i.e., “It”). Some things need to stay a mystery.
Not the King you want
Thankfully (maybe?), I had read other King novels that live up to his reputation before I read this because this was an absolute disappointment.
I found the plot initially interesting and was curious to read more, but then it just became absolutely stupid and I couldn’t believe that I was 1) reading a King novel, and 2) still continuing to read this book. I kept reading to see if it got better at the end, but it didn’t.
I felt like I wasted my money and my time with this. Like others have said, it felt incomplete and something that King just published as a throw-away to get publishers/agents off his back before the next masterpiece.