Elevation by Stephen King

This is a collection of two novelettes.  In the first Scott is both worried about his health, and feeling better than he has in years.  He calls a retired doctor friend, Dr. Bob, to consult with him.  The issue is his weight.  Not only is he losing weight a a tremendous rate, he also has the power to make anything he touches lighter as well. What's more, his body doesn't look like it is losing weight. He still has the spare tire he accumulated after his divorce.  At first he enjoys the added stamina and agility of his lighter body, but as he continues to lose, he wonders what will happen if the trend continues.  As he realizes his days are numbered, he decides to try to help some neighbors who have been ostracized because they are lesbian and married.  

The second story is about a recently widowed older gentleman.  His bossy older sister decides he needs a pet, so she buys him a puppy.  At first he doesn't want it, but with time the old man and the puppy grow close.  It is a super sweet story until the penultimate chapter, but that is all I will say.

After reading two kid's issue books in the row, I decided it was time to bounce back to an adult title.  I had never read anything by Stephen King before, so I decided that this slim volume was a good place to start.  I am surprised that I enjoyed the books as much as I did.  There was some swearing, to be sure, but both stories were actually sweet tales of people facing the twilight of life.  Of course, being Stephen King, the author added some pretty bizarre elements into each story, but mostly I liked them because of the sensitive characterization and sweet interpersonal relationships. I wonder if his longer thrillers have as much attention to character as these do.  If they do, I can see why he is such a publishing superstar. (2018, 146 p.)