Stephen King's iconic line breaks in prose, I believe, had taken in full bloom in The Shining. I ran into an occasional one or two in 'Salem's Lot, but it is in The Shining that they become manic and screaming with odd punctuation and low and/or high capitalization. It's hard to say I like it, but it's hard to say I don't either. Really, there are a few occasions when the call for an enjambment in monologue sounds appropriate and artistic, but overdoing it is sort of a pain in the neck. I hope King would get a grip on this matter and tone it a few notches down in his later works. 
 The Shining is a tough read, in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend it to a reader who hasn't had a prior reading of any King novels, and to a reader who is impatient. I believe this could be shelved as "silent horror." It has the isolated, dark atmosphere with only a half-handful of characters. The pace is slow; there's not so much action until you get to the last quarter of the book. I for one usually like King's beating-around-the-bush style; but with The Shining, it seems hardly the case: I got bored halfway through, closed it for the meantime, started on a new book, and returned to it as soon as I felt I had taken enough rest to resume to my old excitement over this book. 
 On the other hand, I admire the ending. The book was so depressing it only felt justified that Danny and Wendy get a proper happy ending, complete with a sun and a lake house and all that stuff. Four stars!