
Culture writer Emilia Hope recommends Stephen King’s The Shining as a gripping horror story that combines the supernatural with the psychotic to create a terrifying read
If you’re looking for the perfect haunted house thriller, complete with meticulous characterisation, nerve-wracking suspense, and an anti-hero terrifying enough to make your skin crawl, then look no further than Stephen King’s The Shining. Despite having only read a small handful of his eclectic array of work, this novel was enough to firmly establish King as one of my favourite writers to date, and I can easily see why he is so renowned throughout the horror genre.
There is a rawness within the pages, as well as depth and complexity and an understanding of the characters that is impossible to be translated
The novel is a credit to King’s remarkable mastery of storytelling, as well as his ability to instill in the reader a deep-rooted dread, carrying us along an unbearably suspenseful reading journey. It is fair to say that, even without having seen the film beforehand, I would have suspected the disturbing climax of the story well before it happened: Danny’s terrifying psychic visions predict the horrors to come almost from the start. Combining this with the depiction of Jack Torrance’s gradual descent into mad paranoia, exacerbated by his failings as a husband and father, creates a grim sense of the inevitable that is impossible to shake. I found that this only added to the enjoyment of the story, however, as witnessing the threads of the plot slowly weave their way together engaged me so completely that the added tension only improved the whole experience.
The tone of The Shining is bleak and unsettling, yet gritty and fuelled by excruciating anticipation
I couldn’t recommend this book enough to people who value strong, complex characters as well as an enticing plot. To me the novel has it all; it is terrifying yet tragic, disturbing but with a poignancy that lends a surprising tenderness. The Shining is a story about emerging evil, isolation, and the buried darkness that can be hidden within each of us. If you want a book to keep you on your toes during the cold winter nights, then look no further.
Interested? Read more book reviews from Redbrick Culture:
The Book of Echoes: Book Review and Interview with the Author Rosanna Amaka
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