A Short, Somewhat Surprising New King Story: Brief Thoughts on "Elevation"

Stephen King released a new book the day before Halloween, and guess what?  It's not a bit scary.  I find that kind of amusing.

It's also billed as a "novel," but it's just a slim little thing, clocking in at a mere 144 pages.  I don't know if that's amusing, but it is certainly peculiar.

What King delivers here is a book that defies expectations.  Elevation is a light book, both in weight and message.  This is a story about love, tolerance, community, and hope.  It is a book that ponders the value of empathizing with, and helping, those unlike ourselves, and why the challenge is worth embracing.  This is, if you get right down to it, a book with--if not a liberal agenda per se--certainly a liberal perspective.  It is not overly political, but yes, it has its biases.  King himself is outspoken enough that the ideas and opinions inherent in the story should not be surprising.  I have on real objection to the underlying message, which is sweet and optimistic and pleasant.  I do wish, however, that the story was a bit deeper, more complex and compelling.

The characters seem thin, lacking dimension and depth.  To be fair, I'm not sure how sympathetic or memorable King could have made them, given how short the book is.  But it is a little disappointing, nonetheless.  The characters, like most elements of the book, seem to exist primarily to serve the book's message.  The "contrived" aspects of the book--the sense that story elements feel like plot devices--stand out more than they might have had the book been longer.  As it is, the story never develops much depth, and you can always sort of see the mechanics behind what King is doing.  That said, does King manage to achieve the effects he's after fairly well?  I'd have to say he does.   

I didn't love the book, I'm sad to say.  I doubt if it was much of a challenge for King to write, at least not on the level of story construction.  The prose is smooth and effective, but hardly elegant or given to flourishes.  It is an effective work, and not without purpose and even moments of real feeling.  It is, however, not a particularly engaging or memorable read.  I doubt it is one I will revisit.

The story struck me as so slight, it honestly feels odd to review it as a "novel."  If you think of Elevation as a novella, you may be more apt to enjoy it, or count it as more of a success.  I wish it had been included in a collection, rather than being heralded as a New King Novel. 

If there is anything special about the book, it's that it does feel brighter and more hopeful than much of King's work, and actually feels like it reflects some of King's beliefs about the world in which we live.  Elevation is a timely work, in step with feelings and concerns that are prevalent in today's culture.  And the story allows us to glimpse a side of Stephen King's worldview that we don't often get to see--at least not through his fiction.  It's not a terribly creative or profound story, but it's apt to lift your spirits.  If that appeals to you--if you're in the mood to be soothed by the Master of Horror rather than scared for a change--it's worth a read.