The world's a hard place, Danny. It don't care. It don't hate you and me, but it don't love us, either. Terrible things happen in the world, and they're things no one can explain. Good people die in bad, painful ways and leave the folks that love them all alone. Sometimes it seems like it's only the bad people who stay healthy and prosper. The world don't love you, but your momma does and so do I.
What can I say about The Shining by Stephen King? For me, King presents a problem by being so prolific it’s difficult to narrow down to just one book. I chose the Shining for two main reasons. One, because it was the first book of his I read. It introduced me to King and then paved the way to read other works by him. The second—and more important—reason is King’s depiction of a journey into madness. Jack Torrance’s downward spiral is so believable and engrossing, that a reader can’t help but join him. It’s truly a great work.
SYNOPSIS
The Shining is a horror novel by American author Stephen King. Published in 1977, it is King’s third published novel and first hardback bestseller: the success of the book firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. The setting and characters are influenced by King’s personal experiences, including both his visit to The Stanley Hotel in 1974 and his recovery from alcoholism. The novel was followed by a sequel, Doctor Sleep, published in 2013.
The Shining centers on the life of Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. His family accompanies him on this job, including his young son Danny Torrance, who possesses “the shining”, an array of psychic abilities that allow Danny to see the hotel’s horrific past. Soon, after a winter storm leaves them snowbound, the supernatural forces inhabiting the hotel influence Jack’s sanity, leaving his wife and son in incredible danger.
The novel was adapted into a 1980 feature film of the same name directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with Diane Johnson. Although King himself remains disappointed with the adaptation, having criticized its handling of the book’s themes and of Wendy’s character, it is regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made. A television mini-series later premiered in 1997, with the making closely monitored by King to ensure it had followed the novel’s narrative. King wrote the series himself and was reportedly unable to criticize the Kubrick version due to his contract.
