Castle Rock resident Scott Carey has a mystical problem. He’s losing weight, but his body size isn’t changing. Even stranger, he weighs the same in his clothes and out of them. Any object on his body registers no weight. Given the mysterious nature of his lightened state, he only trusts his old doctor, Bob Ellis, with the secret of his condition, which is progressing daily.

On top of that, Scott has seemingly entered a feud with his neighbors, married women Deirdre and Missy, whose business is failing due to Castle Rock’s closed-minded citizens. What follows is a remarkably uplifting, brutally captivating, and relevant story. This is “Elevation,” the latest and greatest novel by Stephen King.

You know him as the King of horror. This is not horror. Among other things, this a pocket-sized book of inspiration. Readers will find no darkness here, but rather a friend to carry them through the darkness. Like any great friend, this novel is witty, heartfelt, and refreshingly sincere to the point of being frank.  When King’s writing speaks hard truths, it holds no punches; when it showers readers in joy, it doesn’t hold anything back there, either.

King weaves his own fantastical story in with the modern prejudices of today and universal questions of life, resulting in a book as enjoyable as a blockbuster movie and as respectable as any literary classic. By telling a fictional story, King paints a portrait of our nonfictional social landscape that’s so accurate that readers forget Castle Rock and Scott Carey aren’t real.

Facing a change he can’t understand, Scott understands that his life as he knows it may soon be over. His journey, his relationship with the couple down the street, and the homophobic mindset of Castle Rock’s community allow King to use “Elevation” as a stage to present difficult questions to the reader. What happens when we die? How do miracles occur? Is there order to the universe, or is there only chaos? Can prejudice truly end?

These questions that may tear us down, the questions that have no answers, often instill in our hearts a sense of dread. Life and death are often both cold, terrifying, and shrouded in mystery. “Elevation” presents a compelling argument that perhaps neither life nor death should scare us. Even when we have unanswerable questions or the unsolvable problems, we can choose to live a life of fulfillment and wonder.

“Elevation” is an uncharacteristically short book, but within its 146 pages readers will find profound depths of human emotion as Scott becomes enlightened. From an author best known for his epic horror, “Elevation” was a magnificent change of pace. This novel burns bright, choosing to explode like a firework instead of dragging itself too far in an attempt to needlessly fill more pages.

To any readers who want to reject this novel based off of their previous conceptions of what a Stephen King novel is, I only ask that you give this book a chance. It’s a masterful story, deceptively packed with themes that speak volumes to a modern soul.

Experience “Elevation,” the most uplifting story yet from the greatest author alive. Choose not to be brought down by life’s minor and major struggles. Choose to be empowered, heartwarmed, and most of all, elevated.