REVIEW

Elevation, Stephen King

Reviewed By
Andrea Thompson

Should you need a solid reminder (in these troubled, troubled times) of what we're all here on this little blue planet for, you might want to pick up ELEVATION for your next commute.  The (fictional) town of Castle Rock, Maine, continues to serve up unforgettable characters to make our collective hearts break, such is the immediacy of our emotional investment in their outcomes.  Sad stuff is always going to happen.  Prepare yourself for that.  Your takeaways will always be the heart wrenching but positive affirmations that all sound tragically sappy when you try to explain them to someone else, but which are uniquely yours forever when you finish your little book.

Make no mistake, this is a small book at around 150 pages.  Let's just call ELEVATION a novella for the sake of simplicity. No matter; this is a Stephen King piece so his work is always going to pack a mighty punch, no matter the word count.

All of that fan stuff said, ELEVATION is a beautifully written and concise story of what could never happen to us, but regardless poses all the interesting questions of what exactly it is we might do if we found ourselves in such an explicable situation.  Even if we are not in the possession of such a warm and forgiving nature, like our hero I.T. guy of ELEVATION, Scott Carey.  

Right now it seems near impossible to serve up a character stereotype as it is absolutely okay to BE that perceived stereotype or go your own way – you do you.  Neither are more correct that the other, shades of grey etc.  Depending on how you feel about that statement, this will affect your reader’s opinion on this book.  Some may feel it delves into that pool of pleasing the masses a little too much.  Or, annoying them with old fashioned ideals.  Others may, like me, will find a bit to sigh over and lots to smile over in ELEVATION.

Now excuse me while I go and find a quiet spot in which to have a bit of a sob.

BOOK DETAILS
BOOK INFORMATION
Author
ISBN
9781473691520
Year of Publication
BLURB

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.

Tags
Review Elevation, Stephen King
Andrea Thompson
Tuesday, June 11, 2019

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