The first time I really tried to get into Stephen King was watching the film ‘The Shining’- loving the suspense and horror of it I eventually bought the novel to see how it compared...
PLOT: One bit of advice, it is far more detailed compared to the film. Ok, so this is pretty normal in terms of novel to film adaptations (i.e. not including certain events), but the film’s plot is edited so severely in places it even incorporates different characters with different incidents!
Back to the book however- the plot. Jack Torrance is a writer who becomes a caretaker during the winter months at the isolated and infamous Overlook Hotel with his wife Wendy and five year old son Danny. Here they need to spend a few months keeping up maintenance on the place, whilst trying not to get affected by the fact that they will be the only ones there during that period of time, with little or no outside contact at all. Sound foreboding? That it is...The Overlook holds a nasty piece of information- a man named Delbert Grady did this same job in 1970 with his wife and two young daughters, only to eventually go mad and kill them all- his girls with a hatchet, wife with a shotgun, and then
he committed suicide the same way.
Yet Jack, Wendy and Danny all move to the hotel regardless, sure that the isolation will do wonders for Jack's writing process and act as a refreshing change for them all. Only Danny has his doubts, haunted by horrific visions which are shown to him by his imaginary friend Tony, who warns him against going to the hotel...
In a short space of time Danny becomes friends with the cook, Dick Halloran, before the latter leaves the Torrances alone for the winter, and in this friendship he learns a ground-breaking secret- he is also, like Halloran, a 'shiner'- someone with amazing psychic powers, and the abilty of telepathy.
Once the Torrances have the hotel to themselves though things rapidly begin to change for the worse- hedges appear to move and create beasts by themselves, elevators shift and carry voices and horrible visions are seen in certain rooms. But it can't be true can it? As time goes on Jack seems to become increasingly disturbed and irritable, steadily more and more aggressive and he's turned back to drink after being free for months. Just what is happening at the Overlook Hotel?
Spurred by a frantic telepathic message from Danny, Halloran travels miles on a difficult journey to reach the snow-bound Overlook- but what does he find when he gets there? What forces pervade the hotel and turn it into a living nightmare? Has tragedy struck yet again? I'll let you find out the answers.
PERSONAL OPINION: One of the best features of the novel is when it concentrates through the eyes of five year old Danny- here King gives us a child’s view on events, which in a way makes them more unsettling as we feel his fear and know he is not purely an idiotic child who is scared of the dark. He has brains, an amazing power and yet he is afraid, which only begs the question, why?
The events described are typical of the horror genre, yet King writes in such detail and makes the characters' reactions so realistic and plausible that I didn't feel as though I was being patronised with incidents I've heard of a number of times before in a horror story. It truly is a terrifying experience to read and there is constant suspense as events seem to escalate more and more out of control until the final wall-climbing and tense climax. There is no real let down in terms of plot at the end of the novel, although the last few pages might end a little too suddenly for some readers.
The characters are both intriguing and credible, from Danny and Tony and the former's haunting visions to Jack's unpredictability. I loved the way the characters' thoughts are placed in brackets throughout the novel- they seemed extremely realistic in terms of an actual person's train of thoughts and were suitable for each character (e.g.- language/thinking style) Also, the events described were vividly played out in my mind as I read them (perhaps half the reason why this is such a disturbing read- the images can haunt you, as with any good horror)
The only downside I really found with the novel was some boring patches where history is described in detail (such as where Jack is reading a load of newspaper articles) although they were necessary in terms of developing the plot. However, all I wanted to do at the time was get back to the events in the house so I have to admit that for the first time I actually skipped these pages (I only skimmed them very briefly) so I could get back to what I really wanted to read!
Aside from this little gripe I was definitely pleased with this buy and have to say it will remain a favourite with me...I am a fan of the film too but I recommend one thing... If you do anything after seeing the movie (or even if you haven’t), read this novel- then you get the true essence of ‘The Shining’ as Stephen King wished it to be and also get to understand just what makes this one of his most popular works in his career.
ESSENTIAL DETAILS:
GENRE: Horror, thriller PUBLISHER: New English Library (1978) UK RRP: £7.99 ISBN: 0-450-04018-6 BOOK FEATURES: 497 pages, paperback. ISBN: 0-450-04018-6. WEBSITE: www.stephenking.com
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Advantages: The mix of claustrophobia, remoteness, the supernatural, and the compelling personalites of the characters and hotel is potent. Disadvantages: I really, really mean - leave this alone unless you WANT to be scared. Really.
Advantages: Stephen King's claim to fame ; Superb atmosphere ; Sublime plot ; A vivid imagination that stretches all supernatural boundaries ; Probably responsible for some of the best horror films of the 70's and 80's Disadvantages: Some unessesary background in the first half ; Kubrik mucked up the story too much ; Could have been much more
Advantages: Stephen king's first and one of his best novels,a sweet and sad tale of pain and sweet vengeance,clever twists and dialogue,excellent Disadvantages: NONE
darkangelwing 30.08.2005 ·
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