Doctor Sleep is a sequel to Stephen King's popular novel The Shining. The story follows a grown-up Danny Torrance, who is now a recovering alcoholic working at a hospice. He comes into contact with a young girl with special abilities, Abra, and together they face a group called The True Knot, who feed on children with psychic powers. The book explores themes of good versus evil, paranormal abilities, and the psychological journey of the characters. The writing style is described as vintage King, with a slow build-up of tension and suspense leading to a climactic finale.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include themes of child abuse, alcoholism, and violence, including murder.
From The Publisher:
Now a major motion picture starring Ewan McGregor!
From master storyteller Stephen King, his unforgettable and terrifying sequel to The Shining-an instant #1 New York Times bestseller that is "[a] vivid frightscape" (The New York Times).
Years ago, the haunting of the Overlook Hotel nearly broke young Dan Torrance's sanity, as his paranormal gift known as "the shining" opened a door straight into hell. And even though Dan is all grown up, the ghosts of the Overlook-and his father's legacy of alcoholism and violence-kept him drifting aimlessly for most of his life. Now, Dan has finally found some order in the chaos by working in a local hospice, earning the nickname "Doctor Sleep" by secretly using his special abilities to comfort the dying and prepare them for the afterlife. But when he unexpectedly meets twelve-year-old Abra Stone-who possesses an even more powerful manifestation of the shining-the two find their lives in sudden jeopardy at the hands of the ageless and murderous nomadic tribe known as the True Knot, reigniting Dan's own demons and summoning him to battle for this young girl's soul and survival...
Ratings (117)
Incredible (23) | |
Loved It (53) | |
Liked It (27) | |
It Was OK (10) | |
Did Not Like (4) |
Reader Stats (176):
Read It (119) | |
Want To Read (35) | |
Did Not Finish (4) | |
Not Interested (18) |
2 comment(s)
(watched movie; 4 stars; may eventually read book)
I meant to reread
The Shining before this one, but library hold systems do what they do. So.
I kept waiting for this book to scare the pants off me the way its predecessor did; but even though it definitely gets scary,
Doctor Sleep isn't meant to be a horror novel the way
The Shining is. It's a coming of age novel for Danny Torrance, and a way for him to come to terms with what happened to him in the Overlook Hotel. I love the idea of the True Knot, but they're never really as threatening as they could be (shout out to Salem's Lot though!).
I found it interesting how King kept bringing the AA lifestyle into Danny and Abra's story; not as interesting as
Infinite Jest, but AA doesn't play a role here as much as it does in that book (sorry I just compared you to DFW, please take comfort in your billions Mr. King). AA is about bringing control back into your life, and that is what Danny has to do, not just with his drinking but with his legacy as Jack Torrance's son and as a person with the shining.
Ultimately, while there are monsters and evil and good guys riding to the rescue,
Doctor Sleep is more about overcoming trauma, becoming a good person, and paying it back.
What can you read after
Doctor Sleep?
About the Author:
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, and Doctor Sleep are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
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