Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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.”
“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
“[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
“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
“Joyful, uplifting, and tinged with sadness.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“There’s a sweetness that feels like something new for King. It’s heavy out there right now. Here’s something that’s not.”
—Gilbert Cruz, The New York Times Book Review
“Delightful…What the slim volume lacks in weight, it makes up in pathos…As Carey’s weight approaches zero and his center of gravity shifts, the book lifts off to an unforgettable and deeply moving conclusion.”
—Susannah Cahalan, The New York Post
“A quick, satisfying read… the sign of a master simply elevating his own legendary game yet again.”
—Brian Truitt, USA Today
“A slim book about an ordinary man in an extraordinary condition rising above hatred and learning to live with tact and dignity.”
—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
“Stephen King still has the power to surprise his beloved ‘constant readers.’ [King is] a storyteller still at the top of his game. Elevation is a magical tale that entertains and manages to say a little something about the state of our culture in 2018.”
