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A review by irene_addler
The Shining by Stephen King
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
2.0
THE SHINING ends on a surprisingly strong and face-paced note given how much of a slog the rest of the book felt like.
Stephen King, at times, has very strong prose and vivid exposition, but he weakens his own tension with odd breaks in the middle of sentences. They're jarring and while I can see how they would serve the story, it's too often and drew me out of the story.
Then his tendency to go too far into the weird (often concerning nudity--sometimes with children) was also extremely unsettling in a way that didn't feel like it served the book. Unsettling in a way that made me question his decisions as an author, not unsettling in a way they left me creeped out. I even had a scene I loved and felt spooked by ruined by him going too far.
The book also aged very poorly with ample use of the n-word and some other slurs. I don't believe any of the usage was out of a personal racism he felt, but his attempt at writing a Black man while being a bit out of touch. I would be curious to hear a Black person's perspective on it, however.
Women are disproportionately objectified.
Much of the story felt like he didn't know where it was going, particularly in the middle. Luckily, many elements he seeded early were brought together at the end, but other elements sprinkled throughout felt like they could have been foreshadowed better.
He jumps perspectives too much. Some of the ending's tension was lost on me because of that, in fact.
I think a lot could have been cut from this book to create something solid, but it's too long and there are too many moments where the tension is ruined.
Final Verdict: Had I not been reading this for something, I would have DNFed.
Stephen King, at times, has very strong prose and vivid exposition, but he weakens his own tension with odd breaks in the middle of sentences. They're jarring and while I can see how they would serve the story, it's too often and drew me out of the story.
Then his tendency to go too far into the weird (often concerning nudity--sometimes with children) was also extremely unsettling in a way that didn't feel like it served the book. Unsettling in a way that made me question his decisions as an author, not unsettling in a way they left me creeped out. I even had a scene I loved and felt spooked by ruined by him going too far.
The book also aged very poorly with ample use of the n-word and some other slurs. I don't believe any of the usage was out of a personal racism he felt, but his attempt at writing a Black man while being a bit out of touch. I would be curious to hear a Black person's perspective on it, however.
Women are disproportionately objectified.
Much of the story felt like he didn't know where it was going, particularly in the middle. Luckily, many elements he seeded early were brought together at the end, but other elements sprinkled throughout felt like they could have been foreshadowed better.
He jumps perspectives too much. Some of the ending's tension was lost on me because of that, in fact.
I think a lot could have been cut from this book to create something solid, but it's too long and there are too many moments where the tension is ruined.
Final Verdict: Had I not been reading this for something, I would have DNFed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, and Blood