A middle-aged web designer named Scott lives in a small-town where words spread rapidly. That’s why he only tells his friend, Doctor Bob about strange phenomenon that happened to him. He’s losing weights although his looks stays the same. It doesn’t matter what cloths he wears or how heavy the things he bring to weight scale, his weight doesn’t change. Eat so many meals doesn’t help either. Only makes his beer belly fatter. Get more weird, his weight is steadily decreases.
At the same time, there’s a married lesbian couple who opens their new restaurant the locals don’t want to be a part of.
I had never read Stephen King’s novel so this was my first attempt. I know this book hasn’t much horror or mystery elements just like other King’s books but again, I hadn’t expected anything. It’s a novella, I’ve spent 3–4 hours to finish and reading this somehow felt like watching a movie by Netflix: short but interesting.
I read some reviews on Goodreads that say this book is heavily political yet I only see this book as a story about tolerance. This novella is a brief reminder that we need address this issue then break barriers we have in society. Not only from one side, but both sides.
At first, Deirdre, one of the lesbian couple seems unfriendly to Scotts. She doesn’t believe that her dogs were doing their business on his lawn as he told her. Reasonably, Deirdre and her wife were having a bad atmosphere living in a small-town who doesn’t fully accept them, refusing to eat at their restaurant just because they’re “out of the norm” and making them butt of a joke. Blinded by her insecurity, she has no idea that Scotts doesn’t have any issue with her being a lesbian.
This is a story about weights, both Scott’s and metaphorically: weights on prejudice of LGBTQ community. The former elevates unconsciously, the latter needs a new set of thoughts and concrete acts.
I only read the Kindle version of this, I didn’t bought the Audiobook version although some readers recommend it. I think I love the e-book version more since this book also has Mark Geyer’s lovely illustrations which elevate the story.
So, let this our old barriers around us that we thought as gravity, float then vanish.
Tragatra 