Elevation & "Laurie"

Elevation was kinda cute and kinda sad but it really wasn't giving any kind of horror vibe (it's horror in the same way as Disney movies are, there are horror elements but the story isn't about the horror and it's treated in an airy sort of way if that makes any sense).

Laurie seemed rather pointless to me, it's just a short story about a man and a dog he didn't want unless I'm missing something (sister dumps dog onto recently widowed brother, dog makes life better for a while then leads to finding neighbor recently killed by a gator the end). Dog walker making a grisly discovery isn't really a horror story it's the start of one and if like me you're not a fan of dog stories you can probably skip this one.

King's novella Elevation (billed as a novel on the cover, but it's way too short to be a novel) is both a gentle plea for us all to be kinder to each other and a meditation on death. There is a mystical premise where the main character Scott confides in a friend / retired doctor that he is losing pounds by the day but doesn't physically look any thinner. There is a parallel storyline where the town of Castle Rock has disdain for a lesbian couple who own a restaurant as well as two dogs that prefer to crap in Scott's yard. At first, Scott is annoyed with the couple. But once he drops the hate and embraces kindness, he learns they are good people.

King's novellas are some of my favorite of his catalog. The Body and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption are great works of LITERARY fiction. That being said, I looked forward to reading another of his novellas with great interest. But unlike those two novellas, which looked back on a previous era with a nostalgic gaze, Elevation is firmly set in the present. And although there is a mystical element to this story, it takes a backseat to the parallel story of the townsfolk and their dislike of the lesbian couple. King is known for his progressive political leanings and I fit squarely into that camp as well, so he is speaking to the choir concerning his observations about how the town should be kinder to each other. I did enjoy this aspect of the story, but it wasn't revelatory to me by any means. Maybe, King was aiming for the more conservative readers of his work in hopes of turning some hearts.

Once Scott's circle of friends learn of his odd weight loss, they vow not to tell anyone of it, and the narrator must have kept this vow too, because its origin is not revealed to the reader. In this sense, Scott's weight loss is a metaphor for our dying selves, and as his weight plummets toward zero just as the days of our lives do the same, we are left to wonder about what his fate will be, even though we already know.

This was an enjoyable, quick read, although not as mystical as promised, and definitely too short to be described as a novel. If you're looking for great stories and excellent writing, then check out King's The Body and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption in the novella collection titled Different Seasons. I'd give Elevation 3 and ½ stars.