I've read this book so many times, my paperback is all battered and the prologue has fallen out somewhere. It's an old favourite, recommended to me by an English teacher in school. I think that was almost 10 years ago now, so it's hard for me to articulate exactly why I love it.

I will just say a few things. The characters are very charming and other-worldly, yet they come to life so quickly. I have such clear impressions of them in my head, I really don't know how I would feel if they finally adapted this to film. The whole book has a wonderful dream-like quality to it, so you tend to forget just how terrible things get. The structure and pacing are excellent, giving us a small taste of murder in the prologue and the weaving the story slowly and steadily through the beautiful landscapes of Vermont. The themes and ideas aren't difficult to follow without a Classics background, something I now appreciate even more having read The Orchard (David Hopen) recently (which is heavily inspired by TSH). 

I'm not saying it's perfect, but it is magnificent, utterly unique and I love it dearly.

01.09.2021:
Having now read several books that are heavily inspired by this book (it seems to have spawned a whole subgenre of dark academia), I feel it's safe to say that nothing will come close to it.