Title: Doctor Sleep
Genre: Novel
Year: 2013
Pages: 500
Origin: read on the Kindle
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5
‘The shining was back, and strong. The question was, why
now?’
Back in 2013 the Worm read Stephen King’s novel The Shining.
Having grown up with the impressive Stanley Kubrick film, the novel offered a
different interpretation on the story (King’s definitive version, it could be
said). The Worm wanted to know what happened after the final scenes; in
particular, what happened to little Danny Torrance. So, the author’s follow-up
to the novel – more than three decades later – promised to be an interesting
one.
Doctor Sleep shows us an adult Danny (now named Dan) who has
come to terms with the demons in his life, both mentally and physically in the
form of the Overlook Hotel as well as his alcoholism. ‘You take yourself with
you, wherever you go,’ King writes. Dan befriends a girl – Abra – who displays
the gift of the shining to a greater extent than himself. However, Abra
unwittingly invites the attentions of the True Knot, an odd gang who travel
across America America
All of this sounds like positive sparks ready to explore.
However, the experience of reading this overly long novel was a different one
that the synopsis suggests. Some of the Worm’s chief complaints include pacing
issues (a drawn out introduction and not enough time given to the book’s climax
at the Overlook), tiresome action scenes, as well as some incredibly dull
characters. Furthermore, the characters who could have injected a bit of energy
into this novel – those of the True Knot – were completely underused. This
includes the character of Andi who was given attention in the beginning, and
then neglected for the remainder of the novel.
The biggest complaint comes in the form of King’s fairly
standard writing. This is regrettable to say, as the Worm has long been a fan
of Stephen King (in particular many of his short stories). However, Doctor
Sleep lacks spark and imagination. Rather than suspense, it plodded along in a
harmless manner.
Although it was nice to check in on Danny after decades of
the original novel, Doctor Sleep is - like the horrors of the Overlook Hotel - best left alone. It adds nothing new to the
myth of “the shining”, and is a wasted opportunity to really explore the
meaning behind the apparent gift. The Worm will return to Stephen King in the
future, but he may just stay away from his recent publications.
