Elevation by Stephen King
Scott Carey has gotten a handle on life. Since his divorce, his career has taken an upswing and the IT contracts are rolling in. He has a nice home in a nice community and a nice cat. His life is nice. Almost.
Deirdre McComb and Missy Donaldson are Scott’s neighbours and, whilst Missy is OK, Deirdre just doesn’t like Scott. Matters are complicated by the fact that the two are lesbians (Missy and Deirdre that is), proudly married in an area of Maine that bleeds Republican. The local conservative opinion is that gay people shouldn’t flaunt their marital status and, although Scott doesn’t share such opinions, Deidre doesn’t care.
But Scott has developed bigger problems than Deidre McComb. He has recently noticed that he is inexplicably losing weight without getting any thinner. His waistline stays the same. He looks the same. But he is weighing less each day and the process is speeding up. When he tells his friend, retired doctor Bob Ellis, they reach the startling conclusion that for some reason gravity is having less of an influence on Scott Carey.
Because his muscle mass remains the same, not yet deteriorated, Scott is very light on his feet – literally. He can jump higher and run faster with such exertions taking less out of him than before. It all sounds great except for the drastic realization that when his weight reduces enough, and gravity is all but gone for him, then he is in serious trouble. Yet, even with disaster looming, Scott fells happy. He’s elated. He’s elevated.
As he studies his condition, Scott realizes that anything he touches also has a reduced gravitational impact. He can carry barbells but still weight the same on the scales. He can touch people who feel as if they’re on a roller-coaster peak about to drop. His cat is terrified of him as a result and won’t come near. Scott begins to fully comprehend his predicament. But how will it all end?
This is a wonderfully quirky novella from the master story-teller. Although short, Elevation is a full meal. It has believable characters of complete proportions. The settings are vivid and the plot is cleverly woven to keep the reader on tenterhooks. You will want to finish this in one sitting and feel sad when you do. It’s a heart-warming tale with an underlying melancholy. King is first-rate at depicting small-town America and the setting for this one, Castle Rock, is also the location for Gwendy’s Button Box, the review for which can be found here;
https://rebelvoice.blog/2018/04/20/gwendys-button-box-stephen-king-richard-chizmar/
All-in-all, Elevation is a gentle read with an unusual yet fitting ending. Rebel Voice laments the fact that there are not more Scott Carey’s in our world.
Sult scale rating: 8.5 out of 10. Very pleasant and enjoyable read of light content and small portions. Elevation will fill that hole in your appetite admirably. Guaranteed to leave you emotionally sated (ripped the ass right out of that analogy…)
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Rebel Voice 