Quote:
Originally Posted by OldDarth
The Shining by Stephen King
Well I'm all set for Dr. Sleep. 
It's been over twenty years since I last read this book and as good I thought it was since then, it's even more powerful than I remember. No doubt because in the twenty intervening years I have become a family man and father myself. My focus on this story has shifted from the horror elements to the characters.
Twenty years ago the visceral thrills that the Outlook Hotel gave have been dulled due to the ever expanding boundaries of what horror books/movies etc have shown and told us.
What stands out more in The Shining are the ghosts we carry around inside of us. These ghosts have the potential to be far more damaging and/or terrifying than anything a possessed hotel can throw at us.
Jack and Wendy Torrance are damaged goods trying to cast off the ghosts of their parents. Jack fails and with Wendy it is unclear how she fares moving forward from the end of the book.
And Danny? Ah, poor Danny. With his gift, or curse, of The Shining - the weight of his ghosts is ever so much heavier. Will his ability ultimately help him conquer his demons or will he crash even harder than his father?
Come Sept 24 with the release of Dr. Sleep, answers should be forthcoming.
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On the off chance you haven't heard of it, Stephen King wrote a short story by the name of Before The Play. It's a prologue to The Shining and gives some insight to the relationship of a Jack Torrence and his father.
I don't believe it was officially published, but it's a very good read.