March Book- The Shining

For this month’s book we’re taking a creepy turn with one of the world’s most famous horror novels, The Shining.

Photo Credit: The Literary Archives

Background

Stephen King wrote The Shining in just less than 4 months. That’s it. After a stay at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO, King felt inspired to write this novel, claiming: “That night I dreamed of my three-year-old son running through the corridors, looking back over his shoulder, eyes wide, screaming. He was being chased by a fire-hose. I woke up with a tremendous jerk, sweating all over, within an inch of falling out of bed.”

The themes throughout the book on alcoholism and decaying families are inspired by King’s own worst fears. King himself struggled with alcoholism and feared he would destroy his own family with it. This guilt inspired one of the greatest horror stories of all time.

Plot Synopsis

Jack Torrance has just lost his job. Due to the circumstances, his only choice is to be the winter caretaker of The Overlook hotel, a mysterious and historical building full of secrets. Jack heads up the mountain with his wife Wendy and his 5-year old son Danny, unknowing to the horrors that await him. Danny has a secret of his own- he has psychic and telepathic abilities. Because of this, the hotel wants Danny, and will stop at nothing to get him, even if it has to get Jack first to acquire him.

Photo Credit: Amazon

My Review

This novel climbed up my favorites list fast as I continued to read it. King gives unique perspectives to each and every character by changing points of view every chapter, and by switching his writing style to echo their thoughts, feelings, and personality. It’s almost scary at times when you can relate with all these characters because you feel like you are in their heads. For a psychological horror, The Shining does a fantastic job at making you feel like you are going insane along with the characters, it is an immersive experience. Numerous times I’ve had to close the book with wide eyes and quickly look around my room.

As a reader, I rarely find myself able to do much else with a book other than read it, but this novel was the first time I fully annotated a book for many years. That is how much information and important themes are present on the pages. The amount of detail King inputs is mind bending once you deeply analyze. I would recommend everyone to read this book at least once in their lifetimes, this is one of those books that changes the way you view things.

Photo Credit: Ella Withers

Notable Quotes

"(This inhuman place makes human monsters)" (King 208).
"For a moment, it actually looked uncertain, as if not sure who or what it was" (King 629).
"'Medoc / are you here? / I've been sleepwalking again, my dear. / The plants are moving under the rug'" (King 315).
"Curiosity (killed the cat; satisfaction brought him back)" (King 315).
"'No!' he screamed back. 'You're dead, you're in your grave, you're not in me at all!'" (King 335).
"(Doesn't it make any difference that I'm just five?)" (King 449).

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