I got this softcover at Barnes and Noble. It's a novella that has nods to some of King's previous plot-elements and characters, but with a very different tone. The main character Scott Carey is named after the protagonist of Richard Matheson's The Shrinking Man - better known for the 1950s film adaptation - but while this Scott is also shrinking, it's in a very different way...

While the story's set in King's fictional town of Castle Rock, and does refer to a few elements from other novels - including the late Sheriff Bannerman, who appeared in several works and came to a pretty rough end in Cujo - this tale focuses on Scott and his unusual dilemma: he's literally losing weight, as in the effects of gravity on his body, while remaining apparently a hale, hearty, even slightly overweight middle-aged man. He confides in his friend, retired Doctor Bob, who agrees to keep his secret; he doesn't want to become a guinea pig for whatever remains of his life.

In the meantime Scott's attempting to befriend a lesbian couple who've been struggling to get their restaurant off the ground. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that Scott finds an interesting way to use a side effect of his strange condition to make a bet that not only helps bring recognition to the restaurant (whose dishes sound delicious, btw) but makes him some new friends - though this leads to a poignant conclusion when his time does run out.

Kind of a fable/morality-tale with an inexplicable-fantasy-element. I enjoyed it.

[There's a short TV Tropes page on the novella.]

Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.

I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

** Released for the 2022 May Royalty challenge. **