I know, I know, this book is not only ancient history but was also made into a very popular film of the same name. I picked this musty novel out of a garage sale bin just for kicks (and 25 cents). The only other book by King I’ve read was something called The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, a rather boring story of a girl that gets lost in the woods. I was not impressed, and avoided further King experiences. Until now.
I ate through The Shining in a night and a half, unable to put it down. I was surprised how different it was from the movie (which I had seen many years ago, in high school). You won’t find “All work and no play make Johnny a dull boy” in these pages. Also missing are the twin girl ghosts wanting to play ball and oceans of ghostly blood flooding the hallways. While the book lacks these famous images, it is still much more frightening.
A crumbling family consisting of a reformed alcoholic, a shaky wife, and a five-year-old buy with a fantastic vocabulary and psychic tendencies go up to an old hotel called The Overlook to take care of the building during its closed season. The husband, Jack, is forced to take the job because he had been fired from his last one for losing his temper with a student and punching him in the face. Yes, poor Jack has some serious anger management problems to go along with his alcoholism.
So the unsuspecting family settle into the Overlook with hope that by the end of their stay their life together will have improved.
Too bad the place is literally crawling with angry ghosties desperate to feed on their souls.
King weaves family memories, varying points of view, and muscle-tensing suspense to build a strong narrative that brings the reader close to the characters and even closer the horror of their experiences at The Overlook. It’s not only a great horror story, it’s a story about two new parents desperately afraid of becoming like their own abusive parents and struggling to keep their family together.
With all the new literature out there to weed through, sometimes it’s nice to take a gander at some classics you may have missed out on growing up. I highly suggest picking this one up for some tense bedtime reading.
Bent Shelf Book Reviews 