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

"Doctor Sleep" reads very much like that particular arc in shounen stories where the then-pupil finally becomes old enough to be the mentor and has to give his everything to protect the newly-appearing pupil from the great evil. It's all about making amends, patching things up, and doing things right. It's beautiful.

I'd even opine that if you're opening this book looking for kinds of stuff to scare you, you'll find close to none. Because "Doctor Sleep" will not terrify you; instead, it dares you to look straight-eyed at the ghosts and demons that haunt you along the way.

The only thing I'm not happy with is the revelation that

Spoiler

Dan Torrance actually has a half-sister because Jack Torrance had an affair back when he was teaching

. That was a real letdown since Jack Torrance did almost every horrible thing a father can do to his family except

Spoiler

being unfaithful to Wendy

. Apparently, he did that too. That's a real shame.

Stephen King's narrative feels like a road trip. It goes slowly and rolls at a comfortable pace, sometimes it lulls you near sleep due to the peace. And when the wheels step onto hard pebbles and the journey becomes rocky, you're suddenly made aware of the discomfort, the realization that this trip might not end well, and yet you press on because stopping will only make you stuck somewhere you want to get out from. You'll want to reach your promised destination. Such talent is a rare thing.

"Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?"

Until you sleep, folks.