Adult

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (Book Review)

Horror, Gothic, Supernatural

Rating

Goodreads:

3.89

Novel Fables:

5/5

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Book Review

The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson

5/5

Horror, Gothic, Supernatural

(The above links for Amazon and Kobo are affiliate links & I earn a small commission if you purchase a book through them)

The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson

5/5

Buy a copy:

The above link(s) for Amazon and/or Kobo are affiliate links & I earn a small commission if you purchase a book through them at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.

"

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”

Synopsis

Dr. Montague, an occult scholar, looking for substantial proof of a “haunting” at Hill House; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, frail young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. Four people arrive at a notoriously inhospitable structure called Hill House. Is it really haunted, or can it be explained with reason and logic.

Review

It’s hard to describe Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House in a short book review without spoiling the beauty of this book. From page one, it sets a cold, eerie tone that just doesn’t leave you as you read about Eleanor Vance and her mysterious stay with what appears to be a haunted house.

Usually, I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to read horror, especially paranormal, so I loved that it was a group of characters in the house for a scientific analysis of the particular activity that happens in its walls; It added a different dimension for me; namely, it helped to look at the creepy factor with a level, logical head instead of being scared out of my wits and unable to finish.

I loved the details of the house as if it were alive, as if it breathed with the characters. The unsettling feeling was similar in atmosphere to The Color Out of Space. If you want to read something utterly eerie and catch some really lovely writing, definitely give The Haunting of Hill House a go!

The character development, although short, was deep enough to make you feel like you were living within the walls along site them like they actually existed outside of the pages. It was almost as if I knew Eleanor Vance personally and felt like she would pull me into the story to get lost in the walls with her.

I can’t say much more without giving too much away about the story, so I’ll let you read it for yourself! You won’t be disappointed. The Haunting of Hill House is a brilliant gothic horror novel. It was frightening, and it offers excellent characterization, vivid imagery, and a compelling plot that keeps you hooked to the very last page. I couldn’t page through this book fast enough.

It’s a quick read, but one that will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

Best,

Ashley

From novelfables.com

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“Fear," the doctor said, "is the relinquishment of logic, the willing relinquishing of reasonable patterns. We yield to it or we fight it, but we cannot meet it halfway.”

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