THE SHINING BY STEPHEN KING

Jack Torrance has been given the chance to turn his life around after being hired to work as a winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel. Isolated from the rest of the world for months, Jack plans to rekindle his relationship with his wife Wendy and his son Danny all the while fighting his brutal alcohol addiction and working out his anger issues. Unfortunately for Jack, the Overlook Hotel has other plans for him and his family. The hotel is haunted by evil spirits with violent and tragic histories, taking advantage of Jack's own troubled past and his son Danny's psychic abilities. A peaceful winter getaway soon transforms into a true nightmare.

The Shining is a fantastic exploration of the struggles of alcoholism, financial ruin and past tragedies constantly coming back to bite you where it hurts most. Surprisingly, the fashion in which the basic elements of normal, human struggles is depicted in this book is far scarier than any ghost or even the Overlook Hotel itself.

Jack was a beat-down, broken and flat out pitiful man. He said and did some pretty horrible and disgusting things, but I developed a soft spot for him the more I learned about his troubles and what made him the way he is.

I loved the depth and feelings of sympathy and understanding the characters invoked. I wasn’t scared by this book on the same level as Pet Sematary, but I was moved by the very human struggles of the characters. It's a slow burner with a lot of heart.