Book Review: The Shining – Stephen King

Somehow, I had managed to live under a rock. Before reading The Shining, I had very little idea of the storyline or what happened. I know, madness right?! However, it made reading the book and discovering it all the better. I love Stephen King’s writing, and I enjoyed delving into this cult-classic novel. Have you read The Shining yet? 

The Shining – Stephen King

Danny is only five years old but in the words of Old Mr Hallorann he is a ‘shiner,’ aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook hotel, Danny’s visions grow out of control.

As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217 and who are the masked guests going up and down the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive?

Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel – and that too is beginning to shine.

My Thoughts

Plot

Stephen King is an author I love to read from. Although I don’t read much in the way of horror, I will always try Stephen King’s books. He is fantastic at balancing action, characters and tension to make for interesting reads. How he manages it again and again, I don’t know. The plot of The Shining is reasonably well-known, so I won’t rehash it here. Well, unless you lived under a rock like I did. Given it’s not a go-to genre for me, I hadn’t watched the film and been spoiled that way. 

There’s a lot that goes on in the 500 or so pages of this book. Events start off reasonably innocuous, but quickly the supernatural and unusual start to make themselves apparent. It unfolds with good timing – the suspense is allowed to do its job and the pacing allows for hints and gradual unveiling throughout the narrative. 

Characters

I really enjoy the contrast between the perspectives within this book. It’s a tough one to pull off right, as the three characters that winter in the Overlook hotel are the only ones on premises. They therefore have to do a lot of heavy lifting in carrying the whole storyline. However, King’s expert characterisation doesn’t disappoint though. They are all very different and have drastically different experiences at the hotel. 

King does a fantastic job of writing morally grey characters that we find ourselves at least somewhat sympathetic towards. Jack is no angel, has a troubled history and has acted far from right towards his family. However, he is not a monster, or out-and-out villain. 

Setting

Naturally, the atmosphere of The Shining is largely contributed to by the remoteness of the setting. Bad weather further isolates the characters in the book. Naturally, when things take a sinister turn and there is nowhere to go, it heightens the tension and gets our pulses going! 

The time of year I read the book was perfect too. It was early November (I wanted to read it for Halloween, but I was a smidge late), so the nights were dark and the weather miserable. Familiar? It matched the tone of the book very well. I’m just trying to disregard the reality that a return to that is just a few months away. We’ve been spoiled with dry weather this summer. 

Narrative Style

The Shining unfolds over around 500 pages. In some respects it’s a slower-burn story. However, with tension throughout the narrative, we are far from bored. Rather, small, seemingly innocent events take a sinister turn. The Shining, the Overlook hotel, really brings out the worst in people. 

The pacing of the book was good. Considering we had a lot of dynamics that needed to play out over 500 pages, we get the right amount of tidbits throughout the narrative to keep us engaged throughout. No mass info dumping here all at the end (thankfully). 

Summary 

I really enjoyed this horror when I read it back in 2023. It is the perfect atmospheric read. If you enjoy horror, or just want to try an absolute classic, The Shining is definitely on my list to recommend. 

Have you read or watched The Shining? What do you think of this book? Is it one of King’s better books? 

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