Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Haunting of Hill House

This was a fantastic work of horror and an exploration of the mind, identity, and grief. There are also multiple ways to interpret the book and the ending, and all of them are interesting and valid. It was funny, because about halfway through the story I found myself wondering when something scary would happen, and then it of course did and was done amazingly. One scene specifically stuck with me terribly and made it difficult to sleep, but my imagination easily runs wild after consuming horror media, so people without an active imagination would probably sleep soundly. Nonetheless, the horror scenes are not only eerie, but also interesting and very clearly described. The characters themselves are quite charming, except for the ones that are deliberately meant to not be liked, and the dynamic between the characters is even more fascinating, and even fun early on. Over time, things get more complicated, especially with our narrator Eleanor who forms a very strong connection to the house. There is a lot in this short book, and I was satisfied with the ending, even if I expected it a little bit - although the ending was much more perfect and haunting than I could have imagined. In general, there is a ton to think about, and a lot to explore within the story.

I have some thoughts I want to note about the interpretations:

We know Eleanor may have some sort of power that could have caused the rocks raining on her house when she was a child, and this is likely why the doctor called her to the house (same as with Theodora). I think it is quite possible that perhaps the house was straight up haunted and negatively affected the group while also desiring for them to stay in the house. Strangely the house latched onto Eleanor especially and this culminates in Eleanor possibly being possessed and wanting to be a part of the house, ending with her death when the group tries to send her away for fear of her health. However, there are lots of little strange hits spattered throughout the story that may point to Eleanor possibly using her own powers, and maybe even experiencing intense mental illness. Eleanor is wracked by depression, a lack of identity, grief and guilt over her mother, an intense feeling of being alone as well as an outcast, and possibly schizophrenia. Over time, some of the characters seemingly chuckle at her and act oddly towards her, and some of this could be the effect of and weight of the house (like when Theo got very mad at Eleanor after discovering the red liquid), but it was to such an extent that I also wonder if Eleanor was misinterpreting things or even seeing things that were not truly being expressed by the other characters. She starts to watch the other characters to see if they talking badly about her, and of course they do not. Either the house is twisting her against them, or her mind is overwhelmed by the fear of being an outcast, or both. I feel like not all of the haunting experiences were caused by Eleanor, but perhaps some at the end really were. There is just so much to consider when exploring this book, and it is so fascinating. Regardless of what the true interpretation is (or maybe there isn't one and Shirley Jackson intended all of them in a way) Eleanor no doubt develops a strange connection to the house that has many parallels throughout the book, either from her deep grief and powers causing the happenings, or the house seeing what Eleanor does not have and finding a way to give it to her. I sort of see it as both.

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draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

It was cool, but it wasn't super special to me. The characters really ended up annoying me by the end of the book, and I've never really been into haunted house stories.

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julianh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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hookerkitty's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Well this was incredibly disappointing. I think I fell asleep just about every time I tried reading this, regardless of how tired I felt beforehand.

And don’t know if it’s my ADHD or what, but so many of the sentences were sooo long (one even had two semicolons!) that I had no idea what was happening by the time I got to the end of it. I had to keep re-reading sections bc I kept zoning out of boredom.

I also wish that Eleanor and Theodora had more dissimilar names, bc I could not keep track of who was who for way too long. Mrs. Dudley felt like an NPC who’d only been programmed with a few set lines and very rarely deviated from them.

I was left with WAY more questions than answers. Many say this is done on purpose to be creepier - there are times where that works, but it just feels like lazy (or unskilled) writing to me. I don’t care how many awards it’s received. I love a good psychological horror/thriller/mystery, and while there were a couple times I actually got really into it, it’s disappointing that they were such short sections of the book. No good payoff in the end. While this isn’t even that old, it further cements my previous belief that older books are not for me.

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fantomerrant's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into becoming like everybody else you will never see your cup of stars again.

After finishing this book, which I was in love with even before I started reading it, if that makes sense, I can confirm it is one of my very favourite books. But I don't think I quite like most people's take on it, possibly because of the fact that I intensely relate to Eleanor. I too am overly sensitive, always daydreaming and retreating into my own world, I get overly attached to some people, to objects and memories, I fear rejection more than anything else and to protect myself, bury myself in dreams and books. I, too, need things to be exactly how I want them to be, don't like to be touched very much, have big emotions and a rich inner world, perhaps it is because I struggle with my sense of self like some say of Nell, but why isn't it okay to be this childlike wonder seeking soul, to want to belong and live in dreams, to want to escape the cruelty of the real world and be a little naive?

The more I read her, the more I think Shirley Jackson was neurodivergent because this is the energy I get from all of her characters, and it feels so good to see myself in these, no matter how horrific the stories and their meanings.

Of course, the ending, no matter how ambiguous, isn't a happy ending. As someone whose favourite series is The Haunting of Hill House - while it is not true to the book, I did tend to forget I was reading a horror story that I knew what meant to end in death, and was reminded of it quite suddenly in the end.
But part of me doesn't quite see this as a bad ending, because Nell and Hill House did kind of find each other, the House wanted Nell when no one else ever did, and Nell found a home within its walls. Like I said it is ambiguous, but I do believe Nell haunts Hill House to this day, and part of me wants to believe that like in the series, she doesn't actually walks alone for all eternity, but has the company of all the ghosts that Hill House swallowed, call me naive if you wish.

Peace, Eleanor thought concretely; what I want in all this world is peace, a quiet spot to lie and think, a quiet spot up among the flowers where I can dream and tell myself sweet stories.

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amelody's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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abicaro17's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

As four characters come together to investigate the psychological effects of a haunted house, Eleanor narrates the effect on both her and the others. As the lively aspects of the house become increasingly creepier, Eleanor and the house mates begin to devolve. The set up of this book is incredibly interesting and I actually really enjoyed the slow burn. I think my issues stem from two parts. Part 1: no one in the house ever really addresses any haunted occurrences unless it's during or immediately after. Part 2: The last third of the book was incredibly confusing. I think if I was actually reading it and not listening to the audiobook, it might be different. Overall it was an interesting book and i'm intrigued to see how the show modernized it.

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