The Shining

By Stephen King

Reviewed by Alan Nguyen, BCCHS student

"El sueño de la razón produce monstruos."
"The sleep of reason breeds monsters."
– Francisco Goya, painter

A small family of three is staying at the Overlook hotel: Jack Torrance, a former alcoholic who lost his teaching job after beating up a student, Wendy Torrance, a mother who wants to give her family a better life, and Danny, an independent 5-year-old son who has a gift that reflects the evil of the hotel.

Jack is a writer, and decides to become the caretaker of the hotel. Wendy and Danny join along, not knowing the history of the hotel. As time passes, strange things start happening: Jack starts becoming a cold-hearted figure who represents the hotel’s darkness, and Danny soon discovers the family’s future, a bloody nightmare of death, the ghosts of the past wreak havoc on the hotel.

The Shining is one of the best, creepiest books, and it will leave you wanting more. It is the one book that kept me up at night.