The Overlook Hotel lies in an isolated spot in the middle of the Colorado Rockies and is only

open to guests in the summer. It's a spooky, haunted place, filled with the sinister presence of the

people who have died there, most under strange or malevolent circumstances. In particular,

winter caretaker Delbert Grady was driven mad by the evil forces at work in the hotel, and

committed suicide after killing his wife and children.

Jack is taking on the position of winter caretaker, looking for a fresh start after being fired from

his job as a teacher. He has unresolved anger issues and is an alcoholic in recovery, and assaulted

one of his students in a fit of drunken rage. Now in recovery he wants to start fresh. Danny, the

Torrance's son, has supernatural powers that his parents don’t know about. This is known as "the

shining"; but it is recognized by the hotel chef, Dean Hallorann, who has similar abilities and

attempts to mentor him so that he can understand his gift. The two become close quickly, but

Danny is still uncomfortable living at the hotel where his presence seems to have caused a spike

in malevolent activity.

Danny sees ghosts at the hotel and most are not friendly. He also sees apparitions becoming real,

and the topiary animals in the landscaped gardens begin to come to life and act threateningly

towards the Torrance family. Because Danny has supernatural abilities, it is very hard for the

hotel to possess him and so attentions are turned towards possessing Jack instead. Jack, like

Delbert before him, starts to get cabin fever and goes a little crazier every day. He has frequent

arguments with Wendy and takes refuge in the hotel bar, which is not stocked because there are

no guests in the winter to serve; however, this time the bar is fully stocked with liquor and Jack

partakes of several drinks. He begins to see the ghosts of past guests at a party, and flirts with a
ghostly woman who tries to seduce him. Finally the ghost of Delbert Grady tries to convince him

to do as he did and kill his family. He resists initially but then starts to falter. He attacks Wendy

but she is able to outwit him as he is impaired from the alcohol he has consumed. She locks him

in the walk in pantry but Delbert's ghost frees him after he has promised to kill Wendy and bring

Danny to him. Jack finds a croquet mallet and attacks Wendy with it but she escapes again,

locking herself inside the caretaker's office suite.

Danny sends Hallorann a psychic distress signal and hurries back to the hotel from his winter job

in Florida. He is attacked by the topiary animals and by Jack. Jack chases Danny through the

hotel and has him cornered on the top floor, but for a moment seems to become more like his old

self again and urges Danny to run away from him. Danny doesn't; he tells Jack that he is not

really Jack, but the hotel possessing him and assuming his appearance and identity. Jack,

possessed, attacks himself and beats his own head in with the mallet. Danny tells the hotel it will

shortly explode because Jack never relieved the pressure on the boiler; grabbing his mother and

Hallorann, Danny flees. The boiler explodes, with Jack still in the building. The Overlook is

completely destroyed, but the hotel's malevolent spirit makes a last-ditch attempt to possess

Hallorann. He fights this off and instead leads Wendy and Danny to safety.

It takes over half a year, but Danny is finally starting to work through the loss of his father, aided

greatly by Hallorann who is working as a summer chef at a hotel in Maine, where Wendy is

recuperating from the injuries Jack inflicted whilst possessed.

I selected this book to read for several reasons. Particularly, I enjoyed the film adaptation, but

wanted to understand the universe in a more detailed sense. Films tend to leave out key attributes

that the novelizations may include. In this case, the book had a significant amount of themes that

were not included in the film. I appreciated the extension to a universe I already found

interesting. Although, I also wanted to read this novel because after watching the film, it was

easier to understand the universe with the visual aid of the cinematic adaptation.

Some themes or meanings behind this book inspired contemplation from a psychological

standpoint. I gained a further understanding of certain aspects of dysfunctional families and how

damaging they can be. The way Stephen King portrays this is in a convoluted, but deep way. I

feel as if the dark nature of this novel was utilized in an effective way that made me contemplate

on a deeper level, rather than just thinking in layman's terms about familial issues. I also gained

an understanding of gothic literature on a further level. The writing style and certain aspects of

the environments display many examples of gothic elements.