Will I love The Shining?

Like the other books on the list, The Shining felt personal, more like something that was happening to me than a story I was reading.

Like Jack, I could feel myself hanging on while the menace around me grew more real, more concrete. And more overwhelming. Even today, I can feel the terror of losing control, of becoming part of the menace, part of the threat to everything of meaning and value. Snowbound with horror, and Spring will never come.

This is the first book that popped into my head when I thought of family vacations gone wrong.

True, it’s not so much a vacation as a winter job, but it takes place at a hotel, so I hope it can slide in. Partly, I love this because it’s about a writer dealing with a severe case of writer’s block. So I sympathize.

But mainly, I love the way King taps into all the complicated feelings people have about parenting, admittedly in an extreme way. But maybe it takes an extreme version of life to show you the truth.

The spirits in King’s modern horror classic interact with Jack Torrance in the Overlook Hotel as if they were guests or employees themselves, gradually pulling him into their end game.

This idea of a ghost normalizing their presence by relating the story of their past life to achieve a goal is a plot line that drives my novel.

I also liked that a 5 year-old child, Danny Torrance, was the psychic character that could see the evil surrounding his family; an innocent burdened with sinister knowledge always entices me.

And speaking of hotels, there is, of course, the infamous Overlook Hotel, staying in which does terrible things to the Torrance family. I loved the idea of the place jeopardizing people’s sanity as it reveals its nightmarish secrets to them. Plus, a haunted hotel concept really works for me–why limit yourself to a single-family history of horrors when you can have a variety?

This book is a more in-your-face approach to the haunted house theme and, in my opinion, incredibly effective as such. Also, this one traps its characters, and the readers along with them, inside a winter storm to… show more.

Stephen King is a literary titan whose work continues to captivate and terrify readers worldwide. This is undoubtedly one of his most iconic novels, a chilling tale of a family’s descent into madness. King’s ability to build suspense and create unforgettable characters is unparalleled.

But it is just the tip of the iceberg. King’s body of work is vast and diverse, encompassing everything from psychological horror to supernatural thrillers. Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, IT, and 11/22/63 are just a few examples of his many masterpieces.

What makes King so special is his ability to tap into our deepest fears and… show more.

I strongly recommend this book as not only does it weave spooky images of ghostly events in one’s psyche, but couples it with fascinating phenomena such as telepathic communication and willpower. Furthermore, I was fascinated by the complex personality of the main protagonist, who allows himself to become victim of evil forces leading to a gradual descent into madness.

It also emphasises that social isolation in a remote place can have a detrimental impact on oneself and those close to you. I found the fight for survival in this tale riveting.

This is my favorite Stephen King novel. How could I not love a novel that includes a troubled writer, a psychic kid, a loving but incompetent mom, and a snowed-in empty hotel with creepy twin girls, a siren in a bathtub, words written backward in blood, and typed pages from a manual typewriter that are absolutely terrifying?

This book has all of these elements and more. I love how King makes a writer’s descent into madness so fascinating, and so scary.  

This book is the scariest book I have ever read. Most people know the film, but the book is scarier. I was shocked to find that topiaries are, in fact, terrifying. They still make me uncomfortable.

It took me a while to recognize that, at its core, this is a haunted house story, and it is very haunted, with what I think are magnificently crafted ghosts. I also love this book because it is a story about a writer trying to write. I relate to it.

Steven King is a writer’s writer. Being holed up, lost in another world, and… show more.

I feel that this is Stephen King at his best. His strength lies in his depiction of relatable characters and situations that intersect with something uncanny and frightening. One of the attractions of his type of horror is that there is always an element of mystery.

For most of this book, I wasn’t entirely sure if The Overlook Hotel was actually haunted or if it was all a manifestation of Jack Torrance’s imagination as he slowly descended into insanity. I had to know! The atmosphere, the scares, the personal conflicts, the surprises, and the ever-growing tension are all compelling.

There’s no list I can create in my head about haunting locations that doesn’t include this book. One of the most interesting aspects of horror novels that take place in a vivid setting is that they draw you in and both make you wish you could visit the location while at the same time thanking all that’s good and holy that you’re not there. That’s what The Shining did for me when I read it. 

The Overlook hotel is larger than life, treacherous, and inviting, and King does an incredible job at maintaining the high-pitched hum of tension from the… show more.