This is another one of those novels that's also an iconic movie, so most people are already aware of it in one form or another. But it's also the typical case of the book being even better than the movie, if you can believe that. There are things that happen in the book that really wouldn't translate well into film, so those things are totally absent from the film adaptation. Don't get me wrong, I love the movie and I've watched it about a thousand times, but the book is even more chilling, more exciting, and more suspenseful. We get a little more background information on the family so it's easy to get invested, and even creepier to watch the father's descent into murderous insanity. We're also given a bit extra insight and detail about Danny's telepathic abilities, so it makes sense in a whole different way and plays a more significant role than the movie portrays.
Before I read this, I didn't think it was really possible for a book to be scary. It's just a book, right? No big deal. But this one had me jumping at every little noise, locking the front door, and leaving the lights on all night. It's not just good because it's scary, it's good because the writing is good, the characters are genuine, and the story is a nuanced ghost story/ tale of insanity that readers had never seen until King released his third book to the world.
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