A review by eusteph
The Shining by Stephen King

dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"The tears that heal are also the tears that scald and scourge."


Given the fact that the movie adaptation of this book was one of the first horror movies I saw as a child, it's clear that reading this book has been on my list for a couple of decades now. With that being said, I haven't rewatched the movie in a while so my feelings towards the book aren't too biased.

Before reading this book, I honestly don't remember building a true connection to any of the characters in this story other than Danny. As I dove into it, I found myself seeing this plot from an entirely different point of view. The characters were a lot more relatable and their lore ran deeper here than in Kubrick's movie which is to be expected given the length of this novel. I can see why King wasn't entirely satisfied with the adaptation but I also acknowledge that it would've been nearly impossible to remain faithful to the book in a two-hour movie.

Halloran was a major standout character for me. I like that the book follows multiple different points of view because that gives me a clearer picture of what we are dealing with here. I found myself feeling a lot more empathy for Jack than what I expected and Wendy was a lot more likable here than I remember her being on screen (bless Shelly Duvall's soul, though).

All in all, I am very happy I finally pulled the trigger and read this. Especially after my last disappointing read by King.

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