Book Review: Stephen King Returns To Castle Rock With ELEVATION 

Everyone’s favourite horrormeister, Stephen King returns to the (not so) sleepy Maine town of Castle Rock with his new novella, Elevation. Clocking-in at a slight 144 pages, the tale might not be King at his best, but there’s plenty for his fans and newcomers to enjoy. 

The book sees website designer Scott Carey discovering that he has a strange illness which sees him drop in weight, but not body mass (he keeps losing weight, but still looks the same). As his mass counts down to zero, he attempts to help his feisty neighbours’ restaurant succeed after the lesbian couple has been ostracised by the puritanical people of Castle Rock. They might be willing to embrace a vegetarian Mexican menu, but god forbid two women live together under one roof. 

Those looking for Stephen King shocks will be disappointed by Elevation, this is the author in whimsical mode, offering-up a character study of small town prejudice. There are a few little nods to other King works (including the recent Gwendy’s Button Box) to keep hardcore fans entertained, but this book should also act a a good entry into author’s oeuvre for the uninitiated. 

You’ll fire through the pages in Elevation as fast as the book’s central character sheds pounds and like that character, this is a ultimately a very lightweight affair. It’s not bad, but you know that this is Stephen King on autopilot.