Doctor Sleep

Life was a wheel, its only job was to turn, and it always came back to where it started.

First Stephen King of the year! <3

Despite all the awful things that happen in Doctor Sleep, it was strangely comforting to return to the old familiar characters after such a long time. I love The Shining so I was nervous to see where SK had taken Danny and Wendy Torrance, and as much as I had wished for redemption and a good life for Danny, I wasn't surprised to discover that SK had, rightly, remained true to Jack Torrance's legacy - Danny, like his father, is an alcoholic trying to escape his past. The story of Dan's redemption is at the heart of this book, and its climax on the Roof of the World moved me to tears.

Doctor Sleep has snuck in right behind Insomnia in my list of favourite SK works. Not terribly surprising, I suppose, when you consider how similar the pacing and the themes of the two books are. I'm really enjoying the way that his writing has evolved into this wonderful mix of quiet horror wrapped up in almost literary fiction. It's a far cry from his earlier books and eminently readable.

4.5 stars.

PS. Loved the wee Silence of the Lambs reference!