Stephen King's latest book "Elevation" is arguably one of the biggest troll moments in the author's entire career. With the book released on All Hallows Eve, it did seem like the master of horror writing was giving us a great story to read after a fun night of trick or treating. Well, don't expect to see Cujo, Carrie White, Jack Torrance, or anything remotely scary (though Pennywise does get a clever shout-out). No, King has admitted that this is a more humane story. It's one indicative of life in 2018, specifically in his iconic hometown of Castle Rock, Maine. While there's a supernatural presence, there's not going to be a jump scare in any of the story's very few pages. What is present is a story so subdued and innocent that it feels almost revolutionary for an author like him. This is a soft story, and one meant to be more of a feel good morality tale about how society comes together to help each other. It does work, provided you can get over how little this resembles the horror classics we know from him.
The story has enough of a hook going for it in protagonist Scott Carey, who has been losing weight but not mass. No matter what he does, he looks the same without weighing it. While a more conventional story would try to uncover the mystery as to why this is happening, King chooses to instead address something more mundane: his relationship with the married lesbian neighbors who run a middling restaurant called Holy Frijole. They're not as welcomed in the community because of their deviant lifestyle, even if they have little in the way of offensive behavior. With the help of Scott, they learn to change the town's attitude about the small things in their life. To suggest that there's any deeper plot would be farcical, for King is more interested in writing something as straightforward and predictable as possible. By the end, Scott Carey reaches his "Zero Day" and the lesbians have a last minute save of their business. It's something that probably could've been guessed by reading the description.
So really, what is going on with Stephen King? Has the author finally gone soft? In a sense, this is one of his most compassionate, pure stories in his entire career. It's so clean that it could accidentally convert your mom into a fan. However, it may be an intentional affront to his aggressive history in part because he's writing it in 2018 in a time where death threats run rampant and synagogues are shot up with sad regularity. No, the hostile King probably would've been preaching to the choir here. As a lifelong liberal, he tries to give depth to the feeling of characters trapped in a conservative society who dislikes the typical taboos. While the previous paragraph is the extent to the conflict, he creates a world where adults solve their problems through conversation. There are no fights or useless name calling. It's the perfect subversion for 2018 where Mr. Rodgers is held as a beacon of hope over cynical alternatives. As much as the story is a commentary on what's wrong with society, it's also an idea of how to better it, even in the town of Castle Rock - which has more than its fair share of horror in recent years.
The question from there becomes how willing you are to go along with King's "Elevation." The book doesn't set out to answer what could be seen as its hook (why is he losing weight but not mass?). It merely ends with a sense of optimism and humanity, which is especially odd for Castle Rock-based stories. Even the conflict is so lacking that once it is established, the story rides by for a quarter of its running time on atmosphere and characters. It's what helps the story go down smooth, but it also helps to ponder what made sharing this story essential. King doesn't say anything deeper about society than that good can prevail. That's an important message, but what exactly made this story's approach to it feel essential? Save for the supernatural concept, it's practically primed to be a Hallmark Channel movie, and not an interesting one at that. Had King added something with more depth, there's a good chance that this would resonate. Instead, it decides that the basic plot development is enough and just lives with it.
If you are to read this story, do go in without cynicism or any expectations of the book being all that complex. It has no answers nor does it feel as sentimentally relevant as something like "The Body" or "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." However, it also feels oddly prescient because of how different it is. What's so wrong with a story being so positive that it ignores the complicated plots we've come to expect from a society that's at each other's throats? While some may find issue with the basic depiction of every character as one note (it can easily be interpreted as a white savior narrative), it's at least done in a loving and compassionate way that never derives too far from the sentiments expressed. It also just hurts the story because without any interesting characters, why is there a need to care?
"Elevation" is primed to be minor King, maybe even forgettable work. With that said, one could hope that he finds ways to expand upon the ideas present in this story and make an uplifting tale full of his usual creative strengths. In a hostile time like now, it's a feel good story that's worth reading if the world seems too cruel. It may not be a particularly fulfilling read on a plot basis, but it will show that even the demented genius of King knows to show some humanity every now and then. It may not be the deepest commentary on America in 2018, but it's a nice antidote that will hopefully lead to an interesting phase of King literature. He has a way to make a difference in this time. Maybe one day this story will be reassessed as a classic with undertones that aren't evident on first read. For now, it's a quaint read, and one that reminds us all that not everything needs to be dark and scary. Some of it can be joyful and innocent, which is probably the most unexpected thing King has done in decades.
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