Are you a fan of horror stories that mess with your mind and deprive you of sleep? If yes, I have a book recommendation for you.
Jack Torrance is an aspiring writer and a recovering alcoholic with anger issues. Due to his alcohol addiction, he has a strained relationship with his wife, Wendy and his son, Danny. After being fired from his job as a professor due to one of his “incidents”, Jack gets an offer of being an off-season caretaker at The Overlook, a grand isolated hotel located in the Colorado mountains.
Thinking of this as an opportunity to fix his strained relationship and to complete the play he has been working on, Jack takes up the job. Without knowing what they are getting into, the three of them move to The Overlook hotel. What Jack and Wendy are not aware of is that Danny, though only five years old, is a ‘shiner’, meaning he has psychic abilities such as premonition and reading minds.
As the winter closes in on them, the hotel starts to come to life gradually and the three of them begin to have strange experiences. The hotel, even though seems to be empty except the three of them is not really empty. What they don’t know is that Danny’s ‘shining’ ability is the source powering the evil forces in the hotel.
Will Danny be able to save himself and his parents from the grasp of the hotel?
Or is it too late for the Torrances to escape from their fate?
This is my first Stephen King Novel and I must admit that I absolutely loved it. Even though it started off a little slow, it gradually picked up the pace and was gripping till the end.
I loved the plot and the background story of the characters. I like how King has portrayed the way toxic traits are passed on through generations and the way mental trauma can actually drive people insane.
What I love the most about horror stories is that they convey the power of sticking together with your family when there is madness going on around you. This can be seen in this novel as well.
There are a lot of spooky elements in the book, especially the ending which will most definitely keep you up at night.
Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House”, this book is a treat to all horror lovers and a must-read in my opinion.
Thank you for reading!
Do share your thoughts about my review and this novel in the comments below. I would love to read them.
Happy reading :)
