Plus there's the legendary Kubrick film, which is one of my favorites.
I was afraid the novel might not live up to the hype.
I'm happy to say it was wrong. This book was incredible in its realistic portrayal of a small (very) struggling family's attempt to survive, both metaphorically and literally.
In many ways, it is a very intimate book, focusing mainly on the three members of the Torrance family: Jack, his wife Wendy, and their five year old son, Danny.
The Torrances have their share of family secrets. Jack is a recovering alcoholic with an enormous temper. Wendy has serious self esteem issues (whether she's aware of it or not) stemming from her very judgmental (and generally awful) mother. And Danny just "knows things." And can read thoughts. Kind of.
Danny shines.
I won't bore you with a blow by blow of this book, since it's so well known. Basically, Jack's drinking and self destructive behavior (he got himself fired from a promising teaching job) and abusive behavior (he "accidentally" broke Danny's arm two years earlier) has strained their marriage to the breaking point.
He's given one last shot at redemption: become the winter caretaker for the Overlook hotel, a destination so secluded in the mountains that it's unreachable about 4 months of the year. The isolation would give him plenty of time to finally finish his play as well as patch things up with Wendy. All their eggs were in this one final basket.
But the Overlook has plans of it's own.
As I was reading, I found myself trying to "figure out" the Overlook. One thing that really sets this book apart from other haunted house type stories is the Overlook itself has an agenda. It isn't just a screaming phantasm, or an old spirit that has lost its way.
It seems to be a living entity. And it's hungry. Best I can figure, is it feeds off of psychic energy. Off of those that Shine. So when Danny, who is described as shining like a spotlight rather than a mere flashlight or candle, is confined to the Overlook for the winter, the hotel begins to awaken...into something terrible.
The hotel works your mind. Really gets into you and preys on your greatest fears.
The novel was deliberately paced and once the set pieces are established and things begin clicking in the final act...I could barely put the book down.
A couple nitpicks. First...King's portrayal of the hotel is very scary and menacing...but at time's just bizarre. There seems to be a gigantic party from the early 20s that keeps replaying within the hotel. It's never really explained what's so special about this particular party. Or maybe it's not the party that keeps "replaying" so much as the hotel is permanently "stuck" in a certain time. Those things aren't fully explored.
I know that Stephen King to this day hates the Kubrick film adaptation, but there's plenty enough room in my heart for love of both. I can see why King, something of a perfectionist, would have issues with the film version: for one thing, the final act is very different.
But also, the character of Jack, despite the legendary Nicholson performance, is a one note caricature performance in the movie. He show's up, kind of eccentric (hey, it is Nicholson only a few years removed from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and then boom, he's crazy and tries to kill everybody.
There's a lot more going on with him in the book. And there's something of a redemption for Jack, in the novel, in that he doesn't go crazy so much as he's possessed by the spirit of the hotel. This leads to a very cool, tender moment at the end when Jack regains control of himself for just a moment...long enough to tell Danny he loves him and to RUN!...before his consciousness is gone forever.
This was a great one. Well worth the hype, even nearly 40 years later.
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