Nineteen in '19: Elevation

I've read far less in recent years than I would like. To help remedy this, I've set myself the modest target of reading nineteen books in 2019. When I finish one, a thumbnail review here will follow.

2/19: Elevation by Stephen King

The 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. 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.'

The review: regular readers will know that I very much enjoy Stephen King's work; I've read it all, pretty much, so I snapped this new publication up as soon as I saw it. It's a novella, and not a long one either, so some might baulk at the price (currently £7.49 for the hardback and, counter-intuitively, the ebook is dearer) but I'm a completist, and happily parted with my cash. Elevation sees King return to his Castle Rock playground, the fictional Maine town where strange things happen on a regular basis, so Constant Readers like me can have fun spotting references to previous works - I spotted mentions of Sheriff Bannerman (The Dead Zone, Cujo) and Pennywise (IT) without trying too hard. Other King staples are in place too, like the little group of "good guys" who are quickly drawn together - the difference here is that there are no bad guys to line up against; there is no conflict. Instead, this slim offering tells the tale of a man who loses weight uncontrollably, without losing mass. That's the hook, and the cover gives a clue as to how the story ends. There is a sub-plot though, and that's where the meat is - it feels like King wanted to write about attitudes in the US, about tolerance, social acceptance, liberalism... or the lack of all those things in the country he calls home. There are a couple of swipes at Trump along the way too, and if you follow King on Twitter those will come as no surprise. But anyway... I won't talk more about the plot, I don't want to spoil things for you, but I will say this rattles along in true King style and I swallowed it whole last night - I started in at 11.20pm and was done by 12.40am. That includes reading the nine page sample of another novella, Gwendy's Button Box, that is tagged on the end to pad the book out (and stopping halfway through to get some biscuits). Now I'm a fast reader but even so, this is a slim book, and that has attracted some negative reviews over on Amazon. That's ridiculous, in my book, when the sales page clearly indicates that it is only 160 pages and the quoted reviews call it variously a novella or slim novel. Buyer beware, I say, but I guess many fans are used to heftier tomes from Mr King. I knew what I was getting though, and what I got was this: not Stephen's finest work but a well-told story with a curiously uplifting end.

The bottom line: it's unlikely to win him many new fans, but most Constant Readers will lap it up, as long as they can get over the fact that it's a novella, not a 600-pager.

Since everything online is rated these days: ★★★★☆☆