"But then fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you." -Stephen King, Salem's Lot
So I just finished reading ‘Doctor Sleep‘ by Stephen King –
did you know that this is the sequel to ‘The Shining’? I did not realize this until I got to reading
the summary on the jacket cover – I’m bad.
I see a new Stephen King novel and I just get it, doesn’t really matter
what the story is going to be, I know I’ll like it. Although, I have to admit I’m a bigger fan of
Mr. King’s non-horror works, like ‘The Stand’ or ‘Shawshank Redemption’. All of his books are good, but those are
just stellar to me. I don’t like the
true horror quite as much because they scare me silly and I live alone. Actually, I don’t quite live alone, I have
the Teenage Banana and the Baby T-rex, but it is humiliating to admit to your
children that you scared yourself right into a nightmare. And really, it’s not like I can keep a gun or
a can of mace in my room, because if you remember, I’m a TERRIBLE klutz and
would more likely get myself than a bad guy.
Sorry! Tangent. Do you all remember The Shining? It was first published in 1977 and was made
into a movie (starring Jack Nicholson) in 1980.
The story takes place at a deserted Colorado hotel with a dark history. Jack Torrance (dad) is an out-of-work
alcoholic who used to be a teacher and for him, this caretaking job is his last
chance. His son, Danny, has the shining
(a way of knowing things, I guess you’d say) and as the season progresses, Jack
begins to lose his mind and Danny (bless his baby heart) is witness to all the
darkness in his father’s mind and to all the ghosts in the hotel. In the end, Jack dies and the hotel burns
down. Doctor Sleep is kind of a twofold
story – a sequel to The Shining, showing us how Danny (now Dan) has ended up
and a story that can stand on its own (with new characters, including Abra, who
also has the shining, but much stronger than Danny did).
We first catch up with Dan, who was an alcoholic for most of
his life (trying to live with the memories of his crazy dad, I guess). He eventually steps on the path to recovery,
ending up in a New Hampshire town (where Abra lives) and works in hospice care,
helping patients over to the other side with his gift.
The new part of the story centers around a group called the
True Knot, a band of gypsy-like people, who travel around the country. The True Knot are sort of immortal, I guess. They can die, but as long as they feed
correctly, they have a much longer than normal lifespan. They feed on a substance called ‘steam’ which
is given off by children with the shining as they die or are tortured. Guess what?
They are after Abra, who is exceptionally gifted.
The story is how Dan and Abra meet and how they defeat the
True Knot. The end happens pretty
quickly and is a tad anticlimactic, but I SO enjoyed the story that it didn’t
cause me any undue pain and suffering.
Keep in mind that I am a little biased and could read Stephen King
novels over and over (I have done this, actually) and still find them
enjoyable. In this case, Doctor Sleep
was solid and entertaining but nowhere near as scary as The Shining. An entirely different kind of book,
actually. I would have to say that you
can see the growth in Mr. King as a writer (uh, DUH, it was written what? 35 years later?). Anyway, imho, worth a read. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. Maybe 4.5 out of 5. Yall read it and tell me if I’m being
completely biased. Please let me know
what YOU think in the comments!
Coming Soon:
There are certain writers that I really look forward to
their new releases. Well, good
news. There are a bunch of great ones
coming out!
1.
We Are Water by Wally Lamb (October 22). Excellent author – I especially liked ‘She’s
Come Undone’ and ‘I Know This Much Is True’.
2.
The All-Girl Filling Stations Last Reunion by Fannie
Flagg (November 5). If you haven’t read Ms. Flagg, you definitely should. You most likely know her as the author of the
book that produced the movie ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ but she has some other
wonderful books, including ‘I Still Dream About You’ and ‘Can’t Wait to Get to
Heaven’. Such feel good books, I promise
you.
3.
The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (November
5). I’m sure you remember her book, ‘Joy
Luck Club’ but other definite include ‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter’ and ‘Saving
Fish from Drowning’.
4.
Stella Bain by Anita Shreve (November 12). The first book I read by Anita Shreve was ‘The
Pilot’s Wife’, which was a selection of the Oprah book club. It was amazing. And also traumatizing. A book you don’t forget, for sure. Still though, she’s an iffie author for
me. Some of her things I really love (‘Resistance’
for example) and some just don’t do it for me.
5.
Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen
(January 28). ‘Black and Blue’ was the
first book of hers that I read and it is raw and harsh, but compelling and utterly
readable. I’ve also read ‘Every Last One’
and ‘Blessings’ and have completely enjoyed them.
Well, that’s all for today, folks! Thanks for reading, happy Fall and as always,
please leave a comment if you have suggestions or ideas or think I’m full of
it!!
