King leaves you screaming for more
The Shining, Stephen King’s third novel, which was later adapted into an equally famous film by Stanley Kubrick, was published in 1977. Thoroughly gothic in nature, it followed a family trapped in a luxury hotel rife with evil forces seeking to destroy a psychically gifted young boy — Danny Torrance — as well as his mother and his violent, alcoholic father.
Thirty-six years later, King brings us Doctor Sleep, a novel which continues Dan’s story. Fans of The Shining certainly won’t be disappointed, but this is not a gimmicky or forced sequel — readers unfamiliar with the first will have no problem understanding and enjoying the second. It’s a sui generis tale that uses The Shining merely as its starting point, but couldn’t be more different: Instead of three people in an isolated location for a winter, Doctor Sleep spans decades and follows dozens of characters, criss-crossing America’s highways and small towns.
There is a structural link between the two books. The first section of Doctor Sleep, like that of The Shining, is called Prefatory Matters, and quickly establishes the evolution of Dan Torrance from the innocent boy of the first novel to the flawed and hapless anti-hero of this one. Dan has become a man plagued by post-traumatic stress and disappointment in himself for repeating the patterns of his parents: smoking the cigarettes that killed his mother, and descending into alcoholism to dull his pain and temper, just like his father.
King excels at the psychological realism of his characters, and Dan’s psychic wounds, shame and self-hatred make him the man that allows this second, newer story to happen.
While I’m not one for autobiographical readings of novels, it must be said that Dan’s journey echoes King’s own. As he says in the author’s note, “The man who wrote Doctor Sleep is very different from the well-meaning alcoholic who wrote The Shining.”
This book reveals an honest and deeply moving portrayal of the Alcoholics Anonymous community, the beautiful and difficult way it can transform the lives of addicts. As a recovered adult, Dan meets a young girl named Abra. Her psychic ability — her shining — is even more powerful than his own. When the student is ready, the teacher appears, and helping Abra is a way for Dan to make amends. Abra’s startling gift exposes her to terrible danger, and this sparks the thrilling plot and grotesqueries we expect from Stephen King.
Doctor Sleep is an incredible read that delves into the darkest depths of human evil, but lights the path back toward redemption. It is frightening and fun and expertly crafted, and will leave you screaming for more.