Could Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining, live up to the popularity of it's bloody and terrifying predecessor? I have read this bold sequel and can report that it is well worth the read. The dark content and vivid description used in Doctor Sleep, written by Stephen King, intrigued me with it's horrific and grotesque content throughout the novel.
Stephen King's style of writing is narrative and makes the events and settings in the novel come to life in my imagination. King's description of a vision seen by one of the main characters, Dan Torrence, is so detailed that it made me cringe at the visualization of the ghoul so vividly described in this scene. I felt as if I were right there with the main characters in this novel, finding myself wondering how I would handle the supernatural incidents during Abra's introduction if she were my child. King describes beautifully the loneliness and isolation of those characters who are different from the rest of society.
The themes in this novel are addiction and it's consequences, as well as the conflict between good and evil. Human nature seems to contain more good than evil, and the humans in this novel are ultimately trying to help themselves and others be free of the evil forces of the Shining and the True Knot. Rose the Hat may be rueful and terrible, but she does what needs to be done for survival. The True Knot, being the antagonists, can be compared to many dictators and sociopaths in our history. The protagonists, Dan and Abra, are flawed but ultimately good.
The character of Dan Torrence is re-introduced thirty years after the incidents at the Outlook Hotel which took place in King's novel, The Shining. King brings this characters pain and suffering to life. In this story Dan makes one last effort to try and get his life back on track. At one point in the story Dan is told, "Your mind was a black board, booze was the eraser." Overcoming his addictions, Dan used the Shining to help people with various problems, physical and material. I liked Dan's character and sympathized with his pain. I was glad to see him gather enough strength to fight against the evil of the True Knot and his own personal demons.
Doctor Sleep is not only a sequel to The Shining, but stands alone in it's own cell of horror and grotesque description. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great horror novel.
