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A review by roctothorpe
The Shining by Stephen King
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win.”
This book is INTENSE. The Shining is one of my favorite films (I know, Stephen King famously hates the movie adaptation), and reading the book has put the story into a completely different light for me. It's tense and thrilling, yes, but also heartbreaking, in a way that you really don't expect from a horror classic. This is due in large part to the incredible character work and the slow burn buildup we get even before arriving at the Overlook hotel.
King gives us an intimate portrait of this family, and you build a painful sense of sympathy for each of them. The supernatural elements actually take a backseat to the normal, human struggles that the Torrance family faces - alcoholism, financial ruin, jealousy, and mistakes from your past that continue to haunt you.
Jack is such a complex character and his slow unraveling throughout the book was one of the most compelling and terrifying character arcs I have ever read.
This book is INTENSE. The Shining is one of my favorite films (I know, Stephen King famously hates the movie adaptation), and reading the book has put the story into a completely different light for me. It's tense and thrilling, yes, but also heartbreaking, in a way that you really don't expect from a horror classic. This is due in large part to the incredible character work and the slow burn buildup we get even before arriving at the Overlook hotel.
King gives us an intimate portrait of this family, and you build a painful sense of sympathy for each of them. The supernatural elements actually take a backseat to the normal, human struggles that the Torrance family faces - alcoholism, financial ruin, jealousy, and mistakes from your past that continue to haunt you.
Jack is such a complex character and his slow unraveling throughout the book was one of the most compelling and terrifying character arcs I have ever read.
Once, during the drinking phase, Wendy had accused him of desiring his own destruction but not possessing the necessary moral fiber to support a full-blown deathwish. So he manufactured ways in which other people could do it, lopping a piece at a time off himself and their family.
This passage stood out to me as so gut-wrenchingly realistic, and despite all of the horrible things Jack says and does, there are parts of his character that are uncomfortably relatable. There are these moments in Jack's descent into madness where he realizes what monstrosities he is capable of, and that for me is where the true horror in this story lies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Child abuse
Moderate: Racial slurs