Shirley Jackson: The Haunting of Hill House

Hi

The Haunting of Hill House is my third Shirley Jackson novel. You can find my reviews on the other two here.
This book has 246 pages and I got it from Book Depository.

 “Hill House stood abandoned, six miles off the road. Four people came to learn its secrets - Dr Montague, an occult scholar; Luke, a spendthrift heir; Theodora, escaping a love affair; and Eleanor, who is lonely and vulnerable - to the house.”

This is a rather strange novel. 

It’s definitely not scary or suspenseful but it is unsettling.

The story is told from Eleanor’s point of view and as the story progresses we start to doubt her sanity. The lines between what’s real and what isn’t start to blur. We can’t be sure if what’s she’s hearing is only there in her head or if everyone can hear it. I liked that element a lot. The doubt creeps up on you and it takes a while before you realize that you can’t really trust what she’s experiencing.

The story unfolds subtly and Jackson manages to build an eerie, suffocating atmosphere throughout the novel. It is well-written and she shows great skill in characterization and descriptions. I love her writing-style.

I enjoyed it a lot but I felt a bit dissatisfied with the lack of suspense.

4 STARS

Happy reading.
Helena