Doctor Sleep

Tony, the little boy who showed Danny visions in The Shining, reappears to Dan—and Abra—in Doctor Sleep. Dan is surprised that Tony is still a boy. What role does Tony play in this novel? 

Rose the Hat is the leader of the True Knot, but there are no clues about why she is in the senior position of authority. Why do you think the author provides little background detail about the True Knot? How do the True Knot differ from typical vampires?

Dan spends most of the novel worried that he is more like his father than he would like, despite evidence to the contrary. How does Dan succeed in his efforts to avoid following in Jack Torrance’s footsteps? How does he fail?

During the writing of The Shining, Stephen King was addicted to both alcohol and cocaine. By the time he wrote Doctor Sleep, he was sober. What narrative function does addiction serve in Doctor Sleep? What about the organization Alcoholics Anonymous? Why does Dan respond so well to the AA meetings and to Casey as his sponsor?

Abra and Dan were each born with a caul over their face, which is traditionally a superstition related to the gift of second sight. However, there is no mention that Dick Hallorann, or the other characters with the shining, being born with cauls. In what ways are Abra and Dan most alike? What are their most significant differences?

King uses descriptions of the overreaching surveillance state of post-9/11 America to comment on the irony that a group like the True Knot can move across America, hiding in plain sight. Discuss both the efficacy and shortcomings of surveillance in Doctor Sleep, whether on the part of the government, or the abilities of Dan and Abra.

Dan’s greatest shame is the night he robbed Deenie in front of her toddler, Tommy. At the end of the novel, Dan celebrates his 15th anniversary in recovery by telling the group about it, which is the first time he has said the story out loud. Does this imply that Dan has forgiven himself? Describe his narrative arc, and how he comes to terms with absolving himself of his guilt.

What is the function of steam in the novel? Why do the True Knot’s members need to cause such pain in order to harvest it? Why does Dick believe that the key to defeating Rose is to feed them their own poison, as he puts it?