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Staff Pick
Set in Castle Rock, a town well known to Stephen King fans, Elevation is a surprisingly optimistic (but still, of course, incredibly creepy) new novel from the master. Drawing on the themes of community and strength in the face of prejudice and evil that King has threaded throughout his earlier work, Elevation meets the consistently high standard that the author has set for himself. Recommended By Lucinda G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine
The latest from legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together — a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences.
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.
From Stephen King, our “most precious renewable resource, like Shakespeare in the malleability of his work” (The Guardian), Elevation is an antidote to our divisive culture, as gloriously joyful (with a twinge of deep sadness) as It’s a Wonderful Life.
Review
“Joyful, uplifting, and tinged with sadness.” Entertainment Weekly
Review
“In this surprisingly sweet and quietly melancholy short novel, King weaves an eerie, charming tale of the ways that strange circumstances can bring people together....King’s tender story is perfect for any fan of small towns, magic, and the joys and challenges of doing the right thing.” Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
“[An] elegant whisper of a story…[Scott] finds a memorable — and quite beautiful, really — way to depart a town made all the better for his presence.” Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
“Written in masterly King’s signature translucent style and set in one of his trademark locales, this uncharacteristically glimmering fairy tale calls unabashedly for us to rise above our differences…succinct, magical, timely...charming yet edgy." Booklist (Starred Review)
About the Author
Stephen King is the author of more than 60 books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), the Bill Hodges trilogy End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and an AT&T Audience Network original television series). His novel 11/22/63 was named a 2011 New York Times Book Review Top 10 Book and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower and It are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.