The Shining by Stephen King
Rating: ★★★★★
The Shining was my first dip into the pool of Stephen King, and I am hooked. I tore through it in two days. This horror novel was complex, suspenseful, terrifying, and beautifully written. Stephen King used this horror story to explore the dangers of alcoholism and the isolation a family in that situation feels. It is a genius vessel for an important social commentary-- this is so much more than a horror story. The writing style was my favorite thing about this book. King use parenthesis to denote intruding thoughts. This use of parenthesis was creepy at a genius level. The story structure King built allowed for a massive build of suspense, keeping me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. One example is the alternating chapters between the ongoings at the Overlook and Dick Hallorann's journey. I was holding my breath for both sides, and the alternating cliff hangers had me squirming.
SPOILERS
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Now for the breakdown! Oh my goodness. Jack Torrance, the alcoholic father, moves his son, Danny, and his wife, Wendy into an offseason hotel for the winter because he got a job as the caretaker. When the snow comes they will be snowed in-- what a genius way to build suspense from the very beginning! I was waiting with bated breath for that first snow fall. When the snow finally came, nothing changed, other than my own sense of impending doom. The family was then completely cut off-- a metaphor for a family trapped by an alcoholic family member. I loved the brilliant demise of Jack's mental health. I could see his mind deteriorating and it almost made sense. I was sympathizing with his insanity, right up until the point when he mentally landed on murder. Genius.
