Since I prefer reading cozy and noir mysteries,
I haven’t read many books of the subgenre “horror.” But of the few I’ve read, The Shining outshines them all. I love a
good old-fashion ghost story, one that has me checking under the bed, leaving a
light on, and feeing extra thankful that my husband is beside me when I go to
sleep at night.
You have probably read the book or seen the
movie, but if not, here’s a brief summary. An unemployed, troubled writer
who’s fighting writer’s block, money problems, and alcoholism, takes his wife
and child to the haunted and isolated Overlook Hotel where he hopes to escape
his demons and get back on tract. We know from this beginning this will
not happen.
I love the foreshadowing in the story. When the
main character, Jack Torrance, is interviewed for the position of hotel’s
caretaker, he is told about the previous caretaker, a man who also had a
drinking problem and went mad and murdered his wife and two daughters. Jack
smiles and jokes that that will not happen to him. When asked how his wife,
Wendy, feels about staying at the hotel for the entire winter with hardly any
contact from the outside world, Jack responds that, “Wendy is an incredible
woman.” While touring the hotel, Jack is told to keep a close watch on the
boiler in the basement, the pressure can easily build up. If that happens, it
will explode, destroying the entire hotel. By this time, we know that Jack has
a violent, explosive temper.
Jack’s five-year-old son, Danny can read minds
and see things other can’t. He has a frightening premonition about their stay
at the hotel. Then during the tour, he meets the hotel’s chef who senses
Danny’s abilities and warns that bad things happen here.
Finally, the Torrance family is left alone.
It’s snowing. The roads are closed. There are no neighbors around. No place to
run or hide. So, we get a big clue as to what the family is up against. I’ll
not give any more details. Read the book!
Now that I’m finished writing this, I’m heading
over to my bookshelf to find Mr. King’s scary novel. What a better way to spend
Halloween.