The Shining by Stephen King

This is one of those books that's been on my must-read list for a long time. It is truly an amazing work of fiction (and possibly a cry for help from the author). It's difficult to say whether Kubrick's vision of this story tainted my reading, but I can definitely say that King's creep factor is way higher.
Jack Torrance, an alcoholic writer haunted by the ghost of his father and his past mistakes, takes a winter job at a remote mountain resort as a last chance to get his life in order. Reconnect with the family. Finish the magnum opus play. Live the American dream. His wife is dealing with issues of her own, from her enabling nature to her battles with her overbearing mother. Their son, Danny, is dealing with more substantial ghosts. He has an invisible friend Tony who gives him visions of possible future events. One thing Tony knows: this winter job is not a good decision. The Overlook Hotel, the hidden main character of the story, slowly invades the psyche of all who dwell within during the winter. Jack, Danny and Wendy are all affected by the hotel in different ways. Jack sinks further into depression, Wendy grows increasingly wary of her husband, and Danny teeters on the brink of sanity. As they move deeper into the winter and the snow isolates them further from society, the hotel begins to show more signs of life. The ghosts of 80 years of business start to hover at the edges of reality. Murders, suicides, affairs, greed, lust, power, and evil have been constant guests at the hotel. Danny, Jack, and Wendy must fight to make sure that they don't become the next permanent residents of the Overlook.

The Shining is full of suspense and shocking twists, but the real meat of the story is the family dynamic. King has an amazing undercurrent running throughout the tale of the bonds between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and the sins of past generations cursing the future.