Doctor Sleep

Rose is the leader of the True Knot. She is committed to her group’s survival, but she is also a sadist who enjoys preying on children, even though she insists that killing is the only way to protect themselves. She is characterized by her beauty, height, lust, loyalty to the other members of the True Knot, and anger. The other members of the True Knot fear Rose, but they also love her. She functions as commune leader, vampire chief, prophet, and enforcer.

To outside observers, Rose’s characteristics are her height, her beauty, and her hat: “Rose the Hat was six feet tall, with long legs in tapered white slacks and high breasts inside a t-shirt branded with the UNICEF motto: Whatever it takes to save a child” (26). Abra admits that Rose is “the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Also, she realized at once, and without a shadow of a doubt, was that she was insane” (220).

There are implications that no one leads the True Knot without earning the spot, but there are no details about how Rose gained her place in the hierarchy. Rose’s beauty is offset by the horrific, single-toothed, predatory version of herself that appears when she feeds. She always wears a top hat at an improbable angle, which always shows her as slightly off kilter, an ironic layer to her ability to hide in plain sight.

Abra—inspired by the word “abracadabra”—plays a role in Doctor Sleep similar to the one Dan played in The Shining. She is a precocious, curious child who struggles to make sense of her special abilities. Like Dan, she has the shining, but her powers are greater than his, which is what initially makes her a target for the True Knot. Because of her power, Abra begins communicating with Dan when she is only two months old. Abra is kind but also easily frustrated and has a temper in addition to a strong sense of justice and vengeance. After witnessing what happens to the Bradley the Baseball Boy, she is not only interested in justice and closure for his parents, but in punishing those responsible.

Abra compares herself to Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, the vengeful “mother of dragons” who goes to great lengths to crush her enemies and rule the empire that she believes was stolen from her. Like Abra, Daenerys’s anger was devastating when she let it overwhelm her. Unchecked, Abra’s anger and impulsiveness could begin a new cycle of abuse and misused potential, particularly with the weight of her powers added into the mix. However, with Dan as a mentor, Abra will have a better chance at managing her life than he did.

Doctor John Dalton is the Stone family’s trusted physician. He also becomes involved with Dan through AA. John plays the role of skeptic. He is a dedicated, inquisitive, rational man of science. However, John is open-minded enough to question the limits of his knowledge when Dan helps him find a watch that he lost—a watch that Dan should not have any knowledge of or method of locating. John becomes a proactive ally, even researching cases similar to Abra’s for her parents.

Dave Stone is Abra’s father. He is caring and protective of his wife and daughter, but quickly realizes that he is out of his depth when Dan and Abra explain their situation. He is appropriately wary of Dan, who appears as an eccentric stranger who has formed an emotional bond with his young daughter. However, Dave has seen enough of Abra’s abilities to know that he should remain as open-minded as possible, at least while he thinks Abra may be in danger.

Dave is also courageous. He looks forward to the showdown with the True Knot at the rest area, if only to have proof of their existence. When it is time to fight, he is willing and able. Once Dave believes their story, he is a loyal, trusting, resourceful ally who is committed to protecting his daughter above all else.

Billy Freeman is an affable man in his late sixties when he first appears in the novel. He is also another character who shines, although he is not as powerful as Abra or Dan. Billy is a generous, caring man who offers Dan a job and connects him with the hospice. He also puts Dan in touch with Casey, who becomes his AA sponsor.

Billy helps Dan and Abra throughout the novel, placing himself in great danger during the confrontation at the Bluebell Campground. He always maintains a dark sense of humor, as evidenced by his cartwheeling in front of Rose at the Roof O’ The World. Billy also functions as an additional piece of evidence when Dan’s word is not sufficiently credible to convince others of the shining. Narratively, Billy serves as a tool through which Dan can enlist the help of John Dalton. When Dan correctly diagnoses Billy with a stomach problem, it convinces John to listen to them both more carefully.