Doctor Sleep

When I heard that Stephen King wrote a sequel to The Shining — the only book I’ve ever read that actually scared me — I wanted to read it. When I heard there was a movie adaptation of that sequel coming out I had to read it quick.

Doctor Sleep is a good read. The story isn’t mind-blowing or even very complicated, but it’s cohesive and works well in the world King built in The Shining. And it’s written with King’s typical clarity and skill. He’s known for tackling personal issues within his stories: The Shining is about him being an alcoholic writer and father, Pet Sematery is about dealing with loss as a father, and Doctor Sleep is about living as a recovering alcoholic and how to make amends. Grown up Danny Torrance is an excellent vehicle for that.

This book is a sequel to King’s written version of The Shining. The Doctor Sleep film is a sequel to the Kubrick film. Just an FYI.