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Is this horror?
I'm genuinely asking here because I'm not a horror aficionado, so I don't know what all constitutes that genre. To a layman like myself, IT was horror because it scared the piss out of me and I couldn't sleep without the lights on for a while. The Shining is more like a Spooky Family Drama. Yeah, yeah, there at the end things got a little hairy, but it was still mostly a human trotting around getting all stabby.



Now, I say mostly because good old Jack is getting some help from a couple of freaky paranormal spectres and...
THE HEDGES!



In an effort to be transparent, I feel like I should mention that I've never actually watched the movie that was based on this bestselling novel. My husband (who has long since stopped being surprised by me) gasped out loud when I told him that a few days ago. So, I'm guessing from his reaction that I'm probably in the minority. Now, normally, whether or not you've seen the movie doesn't matter at all, but this is a pretty iconic movie we're talking about, so even without having seen it, I kind of knew the plot a bit and (of course) knew who acted the starring roles. I know, I know. None of that matters at all when you're talking about a book. But I just thought it might be relevant because the movie is so incredibly well known that even peasants like myself who haven't seen it, immediately recognize certain images from the film.



I said that to say this: Jack Nicholson is definitely not the Jack Torrence I was seeing in my head, as described by Stephen King. King's Jack was a handsome young guy who was married to a beautiful woman. Now, Shelly Duval is a fine actor and so is Nicholson. But...
Anyway. I was just surprised to find out that the characters in the book were hotties.
I've heard the book and movie are very different in a lot of ways, but that both are good if taken separately. I'm planning to rent the movie soon and find out.



Alright. The gist is that there's this guy (Jack) who made a few mistakes because he was a bit boozy, and is now trying to go straight and get it together for his family.
He's a bit of a pompous ass, truth be told. One of those people who feel as though everyone around them just doesn't understand their tortured genius, you know? But he's not just that guy. Which is where King's brilliance as a writer comes in.
He doesn't make Jack the bad guy, he makes Jack a guy.
He's trying. He's trying so hard to stay on the wagon, he's trying so hard to be a better husband, and he's trying so hard to be the father Danny deserves.
And if he hadn't landed a job at a fucking Haunted Hotel, I truly believe he would have made it work.



Or maybe not.
Regardless, Jack is only one of the important characters in this Hallmark Family Movie Channel story. You also have Jack's sweet and beautiful (if a bit too mousy and faithful to the old fucker) wife, Wendy. And, of course, their little son, Danny.
Danny has The Shine . <--which, when I found this out, FINALLY explained the name of this fucking book to me! Do you know how many years this has been subconsciously niggling at my brain?
Well, neither do I.
But when fellow psychic, mind reader, and hotel employee, Dick Hallorann, tells Danny what rooms to avoid over the winter because he can feel Danny's super-bright Shine? It was like a puzzle I didn't even know I was trying to solve clicked into place! It was one of those moments you have where you suddenly realize that there's one less thing you don't know. For one brief second, I felt like the universe had given me a high-five I hadn't asked for and then didn't even pull away at the last second.



So, what happens when you toss a recovering alcoholic with a penchant towards abusive behavior, an overly-optimistic woman who tends to flutter instead of walk, and a 5 year old who can tell what they are both thinking, inside of a hotel that basically wants to eat them?
Well, I don't want to spoil anything for the 3 people who don't know how all this turns out, but...



Anyway. Good stuff. I'm glad my pals forced me (once again) outside my comfort zone.

Buddy Read with The Jeff & The Angry German 4/16
Because who doesn't like child abuse?