Hello, My Fellow Readers!
I just finished the book
The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
Oh Golly…this is an old story (first published in 1959), but so creepy! It takes a bit for the story to get going due to the four characters getting to know each other and the author taking us through those conversations. I must admit at times I got confused to what was going on, but I think that is exactly what the Jackson wanted you to feel while reading…not sure who is joking, being serious and what is a genuine feeling. I would have to say, the house is another character in the story due to having its own agenda. Unfortunately, the last third of the book stalls out. There’s a lot of talk, but not much happens and then it is wrapped up.
I wanted to give this book higher than 3 stars, it started out as a 4 and slowly went down hill and “talked” me out of more stars.
I am giving this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.