A review by danaburger
The Shining by Stephen King

dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Shining is a great book (dare I say, a masterpiece), however, one of the reasons I stay away from Stephen King books is because they simply do NOT need to be 450+ pages long… the writing is often times verbose and repetitive; as if the editor was asleep at the wheel. King’s style of storytelling and character development also meanders; there are multiple tangents that leave the reader going, ‘ok, wtf did that have to do with anything,’ not metaphorical or plot driven in any way, seemingly just a device King uses to make a character 3 dimensional for himself and himself alone in his creative process.
As a reader of color I also find it pertinent to add a trigger warning for others, especially if you opt for an audiobook enjoyment of this title: Heavy use of the N word. Completely fitting for the time period’s social climate, and puts an exclamation point on Jack’s descent into madness as well as the notion that The Overlook is an inherently evil entity which resorts to mental manipulation of it’s victims… buuuuuut also gratuitous, and it did make me cringe the 3rd, fourth and successive times reading it. I get it, but we could’ve reined it in with some more thoughtful editing.

Also:
Kubrick killed Halloran, King did not. Meaning, your boy is the hero of the tale and not just another dead black body in a horror film.
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