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A review by thatgirlinblack
The Shining by Stephen King
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A heart-tugging book delving into the inner workings of a family complicated with unresolved childhood traumas and paranormal tendencies. King can certainly write horror but his flawed moralizing (like with IT) drags stars off the book. More on that later.
The hotel is much more of an actively working, malevolent force than in the famous movie and yet many of the iconic visuals are different or missing.
-The iconic ax is a roque mallet.
-There's no river of blood, but there is a splatter of blood and brains on a wall where a ghost committed su*cide.
-There IS a caretaker who killed his family and helps corrupt Jack but Danny never sees the dead twins.
-The maze doesn’t exist but a topiary of hedge animals causes more than enough menace and destruction.
-Not a movie mention of the crazy man in a silver dog suit whose treatment succinctly displays the twisted minds of the hotel’s famous guests.
-Halloran & Jack have vastly different (& interesting) arcs and ends.
Jack’s self-pitying narratives were annoying while the thoughts of longsuffering, devoted wife and mother Wendy were tragic and the parts in Danny’s curious, expanding little boy brain were exciting as he figures out his “shining” power.
“He felt that he had unwittingly stuck his hand into The Great Wasps’ Nest of Life.” Jack Torrance in the “passive mode” can’t possibly be held responsible for drinking himself into a stupor, or a rage, and hurting people. Oh no, not poor Jack. 🙄
In a sad reminiscence of how female victims of domestic violence constantly excuse their abusers, Wendy credits Jack’s infamous murderous rage to the hotel magically providing liquor rather than the fact that Jack consciously allowed his drinking problem to relapse. His attacks on her are so intense and bloody, yet she displays great determination through it all.
Ultimately it was kinda irritating and idk if it’s because of his limited experience with domestic violence, but King’s slant that Jack was really just some good ol’ dude who unfortunately fell upon hard times and was bewitched by evil falls flat with the countless documented examples of men who neglect their families through drinking and violence ~while in their very right minds~
The problem with blaming Jack’s destructive turn on the Overlook is that he was already impatient (snapping at Wendy in his head), selfish (neglecting his family to stay out late drinking), violent (beating up his student), a sop (willingly drank when the hotel provided it), and destructive (picking fights with his employer to could pursue his passion project book on the hotel) on his own; even if he was trying to turn over a new leaf, his own moral fortitude failed and the hotel just nudged him along.
While Wendy had her own anxious tendencies, her possible overprotectiveness (but not her lack of trust in the drunken, angry man that was her husband) could’ve been addressed if Jack actually communicated with her. Instead, he complained in his head, fantasized about hitting her, and lustfully danced with Sexy Hotel Ghost Lady.
As a survivor, I can confirm that real-life abusive men are way more scary than any hotel ghosts. Quite frankly, it’s unnecessary and insulting to go to bat for these rnen.
The horror aspect is very well done, though, obviously. The slow burn ratchets up to a frantic pace as the party rages and the hotel comes to life, growing stronger. The redemptive end to the story is much more meaningful, in both a bittersweet and uplifting way, than the movie.
The hotel is much more of an actively working, malevolent force than in the famous movie and yet many of the iconic visuals are different or missing.
-The iconic ax is a roque mallet.
-There's no river of blood, but there is a splatter of blood and brains on a wall where a ghost committed su*cide.
-There IS a caretaker who killed his family and helps corrupt Jack but Danny never sees the dead twins.
-The maze doesn’t exist but a topiary of hedge animals causes more than enough menace and destruction.
-Not a movie mention of the crazy man in a silver dog suit whose treatment succinctly displays the twisted minds of the hotel’s famous guests.
-Halloran & Jack have vastly different (& interesting) arcs and ends.
Jack’s self-pitying narratives were annoying while the thoughts of longsuffering, devoted wife and mother Wendy were tragic and the parts in Danny’s curious, expanding little boy brain were exciting as he figures out his “shining” power.
“He felt that he had unwittingly stuck his hand into The Great Wasps’ Nest of Life.” Jack Torrance in the “passive mode” can’t possibly be held responsible for drinking himself into a stupor, or a rage, and hurting people. Oh no, not poor Jack. 🙄
In a sad reminiscence of how female victims of domestic violence constantly excuse their abusers, Wendy credits Jack’s infamous murderous rage to the hotel magically providing liquor rather than the fact that Jack consciously allowed his drinking problem to relapse. His attacks on her are so intense and bloody, yet she displays great determination through it all.
Ultimately it was kinda irritating and idk if it’s because of his limited experience with domestic violence, but King’s slant that Jack was really just some good ol’ dude who unfortunately fell upon hard times and was bewitched by evil falls flat with the countless documented examples of men who neglect their families through drinking and violence ~while in their very right minds~
The problem with blaming Jack’s destructive turn on the Overlook is that he was already impatient (snapping at Wendy in his head), selfish (neglecting his family to stay out late drinking), violent (beating up his student), a sop (willingly drank when the hotel provided it), and destructive (picking fights with his employer to could pursue his passion project book on the hotel) on his own; even if he was trying to turn over a new leaf, his own moral fortitude failed and the hotel just nudged him along.
While Wendy had her own anxious tendencies, her possible overprotectiveness (but not her lack of trust in the drunken, angry man that was her husband) could’ve been addressed if Jack actually communicated with her. Instead, he complained in his head, fantasized about hitting her, and lustfully danced with Sexy Hotel Ghost Lady.
As a survivor, I can confirm that real-life abusive men are way more scary than any hotel ghosts. Quite frankly, it’s unnecessary and insulting to go to bat for these rnen.
The horror aspect is very well done, though, obviously. The slow burn ratchets up to a frantic pace as the party rages and the hotel comes to life, growing stronger. The redemptive end to the story is much more meaningful, in both a bittersweet and uplifting way, than the movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence