Book Review

The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

I always try to show the picture of the copy I have. I guess they did something with this on Netflix, but I really wouldn't know. I had this book on my wish list for a long time because it's old enough to be considered a classic and I'm always ready to entertain a classic. I was let down with this one.

I'm not scared by paranormal themed works because it plays to fears I no longer have, and with this being an older novel, I didn't expect it to be full of graphic descriptions of anything hideous anyway. In fact, it had the charm of an older ghost story leaving much to the imagination. The plot was promising - a group of random people come together to stay in and study a reputed haunted house. I liked the main character of Elenor. I think many women could identify with her personality; her suspicions, her fears, her desires. And there was some intense build up throughout about half the book.

But then it kind of nose dived. Nothing came of the tension being built and after the introduction of Dr. Montague's silly wife, it seemed to lose direction altogether. The story is basically about a woman who goes to stay in a haunted house, the house takes possession of her, and she kills herself without any conscious intent. The problem is that all of the characters noted that she was particularly vulnerable to the house's power, but none of them were smart enough to see what was happening to her until it was too late and then they did nothing to protect her. It made it all seem rather stupid and pointless. And it reinforces why I don't get scared or freaked out easily by this sort of thing. I guess it's supposed to produce "feels" in the reader more than a logical breakdown of the material, but this genre isn't where my "feels" lie I guess.