Doctor Sleep Discussion Wrap-Up


I'll be writing up my own review for Doctor Sleep in the future- hopefully I'll still remember stuff. I finished it awhile ago. For now, I'd like to answer Tif's questions for discussion.

Since this discusses the ending of Doctor Sleep, be forewarned: Spoilers Ahoy!

Before we started reading, we asked if you had any expectations for Doctor Sleep.  Did you get what you were hoping for out of the book?

I didn't have any expectations going into Doctor Sleep. What I wanted was to see how Danny turned out and how his powers affected his life. I wanted to know more about The Overlook and how it came to be such a powerful source of evil. I don't think we ever got a proper explanation for that though.

Having finished the book, do you think having read The Shining is important for enjoying this one?

That's a hard question to answer, since you can't unknow what you already know, you know? It probably helped at the beginning of the story, but Doctor Sleep stands on its own after awhile.

In one word, one phrase, one sentence ... describe Doctor Sleep.

Relationships. The relationships are pretty important to the story. Danny is lost when he is all alone, then he makes friends and joins AA and his life gets better. Abra needs Danny's help to keep Rose from finding her, and Danny needs the help of others to do this. The True Knot is a community and a weirdo family that needs each member to keep it strong. No one goes it alone in Doctor Sleep.

Anything else you feel like discussing about the end of the book?  Or, about the book as a whole?

The ending was what I'd hoped for. The bad guys are defeated and all is right with the world. I like that The Overlook became a bigger part of the story at the end and that even some of the old 'characters' played a part. I'd still like to know why that area is so evil though.

Once I can get all my thoughts in working order, I'll post my review!


  1. I just assumed that the Overlook was evil because of what took place there, but I suppose what took place there could have been caused by the evil itself. I wanted more of the Overlook too and I wanted more of the baseball kid. I felt for a short while that he might make an appearance as a ghostie but that didn't happen, of course.

  2. I agree, I could have used more insight into the "places of evil" such as the site of the Overlook. Not that the book needed it, it's just my curiosity... but it's discussed how there are places that seem to draw evil, and that was something I wondered back in The Shining as well, if the hotel became twisted because of all the bad stuff that happened there, or if all the bad stuff was caused because the hotel itself was evil... you know, the chicken or the egg.

  3. Wasn't there something in The Shining about the Overlook being built on a Native American graveyard or something like that so it was cursed for its disrespect of death? I could be imagining that! I still need to write an actual review, too. Hoped to have it done for today, but that didn't happen! Have really enjoyed hearing what everyone in the Sleep Along thought about the book!

  4. I look forward to your full review! I will hopefully be getting mine posted in the weeks to come too.

    I LOVE your answer to reading The Shining! It just made me giggle! And, I am curious as to why the Overlook area is evil too. Where did it all come from and why there?!?

