A review by chezler24
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

4.25

A nice book to end the year. This gothic horror novel is perfect for those who enjoy subtle terror and a hint of fear. The premise concerns four main characters (Dr. Montague, Elanor, Theodora, and Luke) who were assembled at Hill House hoping to find scientific proof of the supernatural. During their stay at the peculiar house, various disturbances begin to occur and we can see Elanor slowly losing touch with what is real and what is not. It's never directly stated but the hints that slowly build into the crescendo of the final pages depicting Elanor's final actions show that something has gone very wrong with this experiment. I also was pleasantly surprised by the subtle lesbian energy between Theodora and Elanor. Completely was not expecting that going into this book. Lastly, I absolutely detested Mrs. Montague as a character. Some of her spirit writings did contribute to the subtle phenomenon directed towards Elanor but her personality is incredibly grating. Her character aside I definitely would recommend reading this around Halloween. 
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