There have been quite a few comparisons drawn between this novella and another work of King’s, Thinner. His worldview was movingly positive and I love him for it. The relationships he built were beautiful, and I think they did as much to elevate his heart as his strange disorder elevated his body. I loved that he spend every ounce of energy he had on righting wrongs he had committed, and calling Castle Rock to do the same. I loved Scott, our main character, and felt for him as he tried to wrap his head around this weird thing that was happening to him. If you knew the days left to you were numbered, wouldn’t you want to spend whatever time you had left loving people instead of judging them, building friendships instead of fences? I know I would. But for once, we see that toxicity abate as people set aside their differences and decided to focus on being good neighbors instead of gossiping about those who are different. There was definitely still darkness in Castle Rock, but it was in the form of the judgmental mentality that has come to plague our society. It was nice to get something, well, nice that was set in this poor town that has undergone so many grisly things. Although I haven’t read all of King’s works set in this picturesque town that seems to draw the disturbing and macabre, I’ve very much enjoyed everything I’ve read so far in that setting. Instead, it was bittersweetly moving, focusing on friendship and its ability to get us through even the toughest of times. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely strange, but it didn’t strike me as horror. He does have some wonderful novellas and short stories, but when a man known for publishing doorstoppers like IT, 11/22/63, Under the Dome, and The Stand publishes something that can be read in a day, it seems like a pretty radical difference. Compared to most of King’s published works, that’s insanely short.

First of all, it’s a tiny thing clocking in at fewer than 150 pages. “Gravity is the anchor that pulls us down into our graves.”Įlevation is not your typical Stephen King book.

Stephen king's elevation