Books › Elevation
Elevation
258 pages
A bittersweet, magical realist fable about shedding the weight of the world and finding grace in unexpected places.
What it feels like
Reading this novella feels like taking a brisk autumn walk through a familiar small town, wrapped in a bittersweet and surprisingly tender atmosphere. It trades the author's usual dread for a gentle, magical realist exploration of mortality and human connection. The prose is conversational and stripped-down, focusing intently on the quiet prejudices and unexpected graces of community life. As the narrative progresses, the initial sense of eerie bewilderment gives way to a profound, uplifting lightness. It is a story about shedding the literal and metaphorical weight of the world, culminating in an emotional arc of peaceful acceptance. This is a perfect afternoon read for anyone who loves character-driven fables about finding common ground and the quiet beauty of letting go.
- Mood
- bittersweet
- autumnal
- warm
- quietly eerie
- Tone
- earnest
- reflective
- gentle
- melancholic
- uplifting
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- mortality and letting go · overcoming prejudice · unexpected friendships · the lightness of being · community healing
- The writing
- Conversational and stripped-down, delivering classic small-town character work with surprising tenderness.
- The arc
- Moves from quiet bewilderment and isolation to a profound, uplifting sense of connection and peaceful acceptance.
- Who it's for
- Readers seeking a quick, heartwarming fable about human connection and the quiet grace of letting go.
Content notes
- homophobia
- terminal illness metaphor
- death and dying
About the book
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.
Description from Open Library.
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