The Shining

Back to the Overlook, my God, when did I last read this? I was a teenager, for sure, one of my first King books, but not THE first. I remember the trailers for the film terrifying me when I was little, and it was rewatching the film that prompted me to impulsively order this from the library. King can write, of that there is no doubt, college-professor literary wunderkind level writing, but utterly devoted to the genre of horror, the good old haunted house/psychic child tropes reworked with stunning skill and craft, albeit still raw, to some extent. But the burning molten core of The Shining is the alcoholic father and the destruction of a fragile family. There are a lot of well-described things in here, a lot of well-evoked emotions, show more but none as real as the ravages of alcoholism on the psyche of the male father and breadwinner and wannabe writer.

Still, though, winter closes in and the hotel comes to ghastly life and the hedge-animals move - yes, well done leaving those out of the film, Stanley Kubrick - and nobody does the unremitting terror of the supernatural like King does. A bracing reminder why he has ruled the bestseller lists for decades. show less

'Jack Torrance looked back over his shoulder once into the impenetrable,musty-smelling darkness and thought that if there was ever a place that should have ghosts, this was it.'

Plot

After he takes the job of winter caretaker, Jack Torrance and his family move into the Overlook Hotel, an isolated resort in the mountains. Jack,an aspiring writer, hopes that the isolation will help to rebuild his relationship with his family, as well as finish the play he's writing.

Jack's son Danny has a powerful telepathic ability,which has often got him in trouble with his parents. As they settle into The Overlook, Danny starts to see remnants of the Hotel's dark history, and soon discovers that they're more dangerous than he first thought.

As the winter show more cuts them off from the rest of the world, the history of The Overlook is revealed, as the Hotel itself comes to life.

My thoughts

This is the second book I've read by Stephen King after hearing a lot about both the book and the film. I've never seen the film, but plan on watching it now that I've finished the book, to see how it differs. I have to say that I was drawn in from the first few pages of this book, and this doesn't often happen for me. Usually I have to get a chapter or two into a book, when the story starts to move forward, to really be sucked into it. There was just something about the style of writing, and Jack's character that had me drawn into the story from the very start.

Whilst I wouldn't say I was scared by this book, it was definitely creepy. Stephen King's ability to make me visualise everything really added to the eeriness of the story, and also to my complete immersion in the lives of the Torrance family. Every detail was easy to imagine, right down to the carpet in the Hotel, so when it came to Danny's visions, the images were very vivid in my mind.

I always enjoy seeing the story through different points of view, and this book was no different. The majority of the story is told through Jack and Danny's eyes, with Danny being the first to encounter the dangers in the Hotel. I really enjoyed seeing how Danny, who is just five years old, deals with the horrors that are unfolding before his eyes. Although there are times when he's understandably terrified, the majority of the time he hides his emotions from his parents so that he doesn't scare them away from The Overlook, as he thinks that they are happy there. For such a young child, the way that he handles his visions is incredible; if I saw the things that he saw, I'd be running straight out of that Hotel.

Jack's character is an interesting one. He often reflects on his past mistakes and deeply regrets them, and he's determined to make a better life for his family, especially his son. Every day without a drink is a struggle for Jack, and when the Hotel is cut off by heavy snow, the isolation, rather than helping him, only makes this worse for Jack. The Hotel finds a way to get to him, and he slowly starts to lose his mind bit by bit, until he doesn't know himself anymore. The decline of Jack's mind was central to the story, and one of the most interesting parts for me, watching him losing a part of himself every day. His thoughts could be confusing at times, but this cemented the fact that the Hotel was starting to get to him.

I think it's time I mentioned Wendy, Jack's wife. Wendy has had a lot of problems to face before The Overlook Hotel, with her husband being prone to outbursts of anger, and his drinking problems. Struggling with the decision of what's best for Danny, Wendy believes that The Overlook Hotel could be good for them as a family, and maybe bring her and Jack back together. While at The Overlook, Wendy must now come to terms with the fact that her son is in danger not just from Jack, but from the Hotel itself. I really admired Wendy's character, and her protection of her son. The events unfolding at The Overlook are terrifying, but Wendy's first thought is always her son and how she can keep him out of danger. As her husband starts to succumb to the Hotel, Wendy is the one trying to hold everything together and keep her son safe.

Overall, I just couldn't put his book down. I spent three hours reading it in one morning,determined to finish it and see the outcome. My Kindle Edition had quite a few spelling mistakes, which at times was frustrating and distracting, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. If you're looking for a great psychological horror read, you should definitely pick yourself up a copy of The Shining. show less

Talking about Stanley Kubrick's film version of The Shining seems to be ineluctable when reviewing the original book. So, just to be awkward, I won't.

The story is fairly well known: a recovering alcoholic, newly fired from his teaching position for beating seven shades of mauve out of a student, his wife, and their son move into a creepy old hotel in the Rockies to act as caretakers over the harsh Winter. The son has (and, it's hinted a few times, to a lesser extent both parents have) the ability to "shine", a kind of telepathy-cum-precognition. There's a whole lot of foreboding about staying in the hotel, and with good reason as it's slowly revealed many atrocities have taken place therein.

I found the book sad and scary in fairly equal show more measure. The father of the family clearly loves his son a great deal. He repeatedly tries to do the right thing despite his rather terrible upbringing under a drunk, abusive father and simpering mother, and also despite living inside a huge malevolent hotel that's trying to turn him against his family. And indeed, ultimately the hotel doesn't succeed in turning him against his family, just in getting him to drink again and taking advantage of his drunkenness. And as for scares, I think this book just did to me with topiary what Doctor Who's Blink did to me with statues. show less

‚Shining‘ ist für mich einer der ultimativen Horrorromane überhaupt. Von Anfang bis Ende hatte ich Gänsehaut. Nicht nur, weil das Hotel an sich total gruselig ist, sondern die ganze Atmosphäre in dem Buch düster und bedrückend war. Die Figuren tun dabei natürlich ihr übriges. Während ich Wendy am liebsten die ganze Zeit schütteln würde, dass Jack sich doch nie ändern würde und sie ihn verlassen soll, verstehe ich auch, dass sie gefangen in ihrer Rolle als Hausfrau und Mutter ohne jegliches soziales Netz nicht einfach so ihre Sachen packen und gehen kann. Trotzdem hätte ich ihr gern mehr als einmal gesagt, dass alles gut wird. Jack hingegen…oh Du meine Güte….selbst bevor die Familie Torrance überhaupt im Overlook show more ankommt, war er mir schon hochgradig unsympathisch. Ein Säuferarschloch vor dem Herrn, für den ich keinerlei Mitleid empfinden konnte. Außerdem empfand er selbst genügend Mitleid für sich. Immer waren andere Schuld. Selbst für seine Fehler zu seinen schwersten Alkoholproblemzeiten – immer waren es andere. Damit kann ich, je älter ich werde, immer weniger anfangen. Menschen, die nicht in der Lage sind, ihren eigenen Fehlern und Fehltritten in die Augen zu schauen sondern immer Ausreden suchen. Für Jack Torrance empfand ich keinerlei Sympathie. Nicht das kleinste Quäntchen.

Die Art, wie er mit seiner Familie umspringt, wie er über seine Frau denkt und oftmals auch direkt mit ihr so redet, das ist einfach absolut erschreckend. Für mich lag hier drin der wahre Horror. Diese Respektlosigkeit. Das hat mich sehr mitgenommen. Ich war die ganze Zeit zwischen Wut und Angst hin- und hergerissen. Dass die Geister des Overlook Hotels in Jack ein schwaches, williges Opfer gefunden haben, war dabei nicht mehr überraschend. Trotzdem empfand ich Jacks Raserei und Hass als äußerst abstoßend. Am liebsten wäre ich selbst davor davongelaufen.

King beweist in diesem Roman sein brilliantes Talent, echte Menschen zu beschreiben. Danny Torrance war dabei derjenige, der mir einfach nur leid tat. Er liebte seine Eltern und deren ständige Streitereien und die immer vorhandene, heimliche Hoffnung, dass sich doch alles zum Guten wenden wird, das war einfach nur so traurig.

Ich fand es schön, dass Dick Hallorann hier ein guter Freund war und für Danny eine Anlaufstelle, was die Hellsichtigkeit angeht. King schaffte es hier besonders gut, Dannys Angst vor seinen eigenen Fähigkeiten zu beschreiben. Und seine Zerrissenheit, weil er wusste, dass diese Hellsichtigkeit nicht jeder Mensch besitzt.

Fazit
„Shining“ ist ein geniales Buch. Nicht nur wegen des Horrors des Übernatürlichen sondern besonders durch den Horror, den echte Menschen auslösen können. Menschen, die unberechenbar sind und um die man wie auf zerbrechlichem Eis herumtanzen muss, weil man nie weiß, wann sie das nächste mal ausrasten. show less

Part of the reason I'm rereading all of King's books in chronological order is to watch the progression of a creative mind. I believe The Shining is King's strongest piece, his most well-rounded achievement. Fantastic opening, amazing character development, truly terrifying scenes, and one epic ending. No other King book has that combination. Or at least I do not recall one that does. Has my opinion changed? Not yet.

There are only a handful of authors who can scare me with implication. Point in fact: the hedge animals. I mean, even if the lions had gotten a hold of Hallorann, what were they going to do? Foliage him to death? Still, every single scene involving the hedge animals is terrifying. And you don't even know what they're show more capable of because their actions are never shown, only implied. Don't even get me started on that fucking fire hose. Nightmare inducing shit...

In summation: If you don't read any other King novel, read this one. That's all I have to say on the subject.

I know this review sucks, but it's also my fourth or fifth time reading this book, so give me a break. I'll do better on the next one, promise. show less

A third or fourth read of The Shining, which remains my favourite of Stephen King’s novels and the basis of my favourite adaptation of his work. Kubrick's movie is an incredible piece of work, but does not fully do justice to the novel. Written early in his career, it avoids the flabbiness and lack of restraint that mark some of his later books, instead building tension with patience and control.

The Overlook in winter is the perfect setting for this tale of ghosts and evil stirring in the mountains. The horror is expertly layered, beginning with Danny’s profound sense of unease, the fractures in Jack and Wendy’s marriage, and the misgivings of Hallorann. The supernatural intrudes gently at first, then with increasing force, show more building steadily to the novel’s fiery conclusion.

Even on a reread, The Shining remains disturbing and quietly, persistently creepy. show less

Wow. I originally read The Shining back when it was originally released. It scared the hell out of me then, back when I was all of 15. Now, rereading it in preparation for Dr. Sleep, it was a completely different, yet equally as satisfying an experience.

This was a seminal novel for me. This was the one that really made me decide to try my own hand at writing. So, between inspiring me and terrifying me, it had a lot to live up to.

Now, having finished it as an adult, as a father and as a writer, I found myself impressed over and over and over again at the strength and surety of King's writing. Jack Torrance was less malevolent and more tortured this time around. Wendy was much more present this time around. And Danny...well, you can't show more consider Danny without considering the Outlook, easily one of the more brilliant antagonists in modern fiction.

King's style now is a little looser, a little less literary than it was in The Shining. And this book is so brilliantly plotted, the characters are so rich...Honestly, I've always felt this was King's finest hour. And rereading it 36 years later, nothing stands out that contradicts that. It still holds up.

I'm going to state here, for the record, there is virtually 66no chance Dr. Sleep will be able to hold a candle to this classic. No way.

And this is coming from the guy who loves damn near everything the man wrote.

Feb 13/2016 update: This is my third pass through this novel, and my second in about two years. And my estimation only goes up every time I read it.

There's not a sour note in this novel, not a letter out of place. It is, in my estimation, the perfect horror novel. There's a lot of contenders for that particular honour, and several of them written by Stephen King, but for me, this is it. This is the one.

As I worked my way through the story this time, I lost count of how many times I thought, This should be taught as a university course in how to construct the perfect horror novel. Why? Because it starts off with a hint of the issues that will come, both from the vantage point of the hotel, and from Jack Torrance.

Ah, Jack. Is there a more tragic character in horror? Seriously, he's a very good man, capable of great things, but laid so low by his weaknesses. And King takes his time peeling back Jack's layers. It's like watching a striptease, each piece lifted and discarded, revealing more underneath. This, to me, is the heart of this novel. King eloquently paints Jack as a man desperate to do right, but too weak to succeed, because the hotel is stronger. And as much as King can build the dread and suspense that we all know is coming, he also has a delicate yet sure touch when detailing Jack's alcoholism, which, of course we know now that King was fighting himself.

I mentioned in a status update that, as much as I anticipated room 217, as I always do, this time, other scenes, like the discovery of the wasp's nest at the same time King discusses Jack's booze-soaked follies and the issue that got him fired from his teaching job, King neatly ties them together with a subtle, yet disturbingly accurate hint of what's to come, when Jack thinks of all those that "stung" him...instead of shouldering some of the blame.

Shortly after that, when Danny visits the doctor for both his fugue states and his wasp stings, this is a master class in getting important information across--what's commonly known as an info-dump--without the reader even know they're getting educated. This is writing at its best.

I've always loved King, and this novel in particular, but reading it for the third (and very likely final) time, I see the author at the absolute pinnacle of his talents. He would go on to write a hell of a lot more books, many of them classics, but to my mind, he was never quite as brilliant as he was for the pages of this book. This is genius, and any who read it should look upon it with wonder. show less