Elevation

by Stephen King

Set in Castle Rock, ELEVATION is moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together.

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, our 'most precious renewable resource, like Shakespeare in the malleability of his work' (Guardian), 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.'

(P)2018 Simon & Schuster Audio

• ISBN10: 1982102322
• ISBN13: 9781982102326
• Publish Date: 12 November 2019 (first published 30 October 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: Scribner Book Company
• Format: Hardcover (US Trade)
• Pages: 1
• Language: English

Reviews

[wcs53]

This was a quick, enjoyable read - one of those books that its possible to read in one sitting. It’s not a horror story, although if you sit and think about it long enough, what happens to the main character could be deemed as being horrific.

Scott Carey is losing weight at a steady pace. No matter what he eats, wears, or carries, he just keeps on losing weight. He lives in a small town, where talk spreads quickly and prejudices are plenty. Somehow, his condition helps to bring positive change to his little town, although only a select handful know what is happening to him.

This is worth the read. It is, at times sad, but there is also joy, as the story unfolds. Stephen King continues to be a master storyteller.

[clq]

(This would have been a 3.5 if Goodreads had allowed it... but it's definitely not a 4, so 3 it is.)

Like in the other Stephen King short stories I’ve read, Rage and The Long Walk, the pitch for Elevation seems to be a thought-experiment with a story written around it. But that’s really the only thing Elevation has in common with those other two, or with any Stephen King book I’ve read, for that matter. Elevation is not thrilling, it’s not fast paced, and it’s not scary. It’s about a man who is experiencing some really strange things, who’s pretty sure that he’s going to die very soon, and about what he chooses to do with those last days. And somehow this story about the man facing death manages to be a through-and-through feel-good story.

I’m having a hard time… well… pinning down… my thoughts on Elevation. I found it to be perfectly unremarkable – it didn’t make me feel much, it didn’t make me think much, and it didn’t excite me. However, it did just about satisfy me. I liked it, but I know that I’ll probably forget about it within a few days (as opposed to a book like Rage which I didn’t like as much, but which I kept thinking about for a long time). The story also confused me in that it reads very much like a Stephen King story, but without any of the peril, thrill, suspense, or other things that I tend to associate with his stories. It’s not bad, but it also just kind of trots along until it ends. And it doesn’t leave behind much trace.

The book is good, and takes no time at all to read, so in that sense there isn’t much of a reason not to read it, but I also can’t think what this book provides that would make me recommend it to anyone. It’s a Stephen King story, so it had that going for it. It’s not true to his usual subject-matter, but it’s true to his style. It’s a compilation of interesting thoughts that are written down well, but the only thing that makes this book especially remarkable or even interesting is that it’s an uncharacteristically feel-good Stephen King story.

I refuse to label this as horror. It is simply not.

Besides that, this book was nothing special. Very one-dimensional characters, the story was very bland, and it felt as if not a lot of thought was put into it, as long as a new book was released.
I like the cover a lot though, that's something. The online cover photo doesn't do it justice.

[leahrosereads]

I felt like this was missing something. It needed more story, more character development, more build up, just more. It was a pretty interesting concept, but I don't think it worked well as a novella. And without the characters having more time to grow, I wasn't invested in any of them.

[Charli G.]

While this book wasn’t a “normal” Stephen King novel in terms of size, and it sure wasn’t horror, it was pretty good. It took me all of an hour and a half to read it. It’s not scary, more curious and sad. If you’re looking for the master of horror, try a different book. But if you’re looking for a good, quick read, check it out.

[lovelybookshelf]

I listened to the audiobook, and it was great listening to Stephen King read his own stories (it includes Elevation as well as a short story, "Laurie"). For both, the characters were kind of simple, the plots not too surprising, but it worked. This was really enjoyable overall, a nice comfort read.