Kubrick Red: A Memoir

The Shining by Stanley Kubrick - that strange story in which a writer and his wife and young son with ESP stay in a mysterious hotel in low season - has been fascinating viewers since its release in 1980. Simon Roy first saw the film when he was 10 and was mesmerized by a particular line: "How'd you like some ice cream, Doc?" He has since seen the movie at least 42 times, because "it encompasses the tragic symptoms of a deep-seated defect that has haunted [it] for generations." The painstaking bond he has knitted with this story of evil has enabled him to absorb the disquieting traits of its "macabre lineage" and fully reveal its power over him. This is an unusual and astonishing book. In this truly remarkable debut, Simon Roy has produced a highly original, unsettling, and fascinating account. This essay will appeal not only to Kubrick fans but also to readers who are attuned to life's hardships and mindful of the strength needed to overcome them. Praise for Kubrick Red: "Such is the off-centre, episodic nature of this book that it's hard to find parallels elsewhere in literature." (Vancouver Sun)