After finishing Pet Sematary recently, I really wanted a chance to re-read The Shining. It’s spooky season after all! I have to say, having a few other Stephen King books under my belt really added to my enjoyment of this one.
The Shining (The Shining #1)
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 675
Format: Paperback
Published: January 28, 1977
Publisher: Anchor Books
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: October 20, 2024
My rating: 
Thoughts
I read this book about 5 years ago. Well, I listened to the audiobook, which totally counts. But it was while driving on various road trips and was probably split into multiple listening adventures. So this was my first, true, sit down and read it with my eyeballs read. And it did not disappoint.
I need to stop complaining about not getting scared when I’m reading horror novels. King fans say this is his scariest book. I definitely think it had creepy vibes to it.
But I have maybe an unpopular opinion here… The Shining is more psychological thriller than horror.
I said what I said.
Anyway, I found that I really love King’s writing style. It’s so easy to follow along with, his characters are really well defined, and the plot is well-laid out. I enjoyed really getting into the heads of the characters and even sometimes being confused about “reality” when they are.
The characters and relationships are way different than what’s portrayed in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation. In the book, Jack and Wendy really love each other. I mean, when they’re not contemplating divorce. But Jack is a real upstanding guy that wants to do a good job and has had a liiiittle bit of a drinking problem. Not here though. No, he’s been off the sauce for quite some time. In the movie, I get the feeling that Jack hates his family and probably just hates life in general.
There were also multiple Chekhov’s guns sprinkled throughout. For those who haven’t read the book, the maintenance of the boiler plays a significant part – something that was pretty much glossed over in the film even though it was the impetus for him getting the job in the first place.
I also really enjoyed the ending here. As Stephen King has pointed out, his book ends in fire whereas Kubrick’s film ends in ice. I much prefer the book’s ending.
Good grief! How can I not give this 5 out of 5 stars? I’m sure I could qualify this by saying “well, it’s actually a four-point-whatever” but this is such a fun book that I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m just going to stare at ‘Salem’s Lot and It on my bookshelf, wanting to get into those, but knowing that I should really read some other things first. Alas, my heart, be still. I will return to the King in time.
