I can tell when a book is scaring me when I have a restless nights of weird dreams and foreboding feelings. This book did that. The atmosphere just gets steadily darker and darker as the characters slowly decline into madness and begin to doubt themselves. It really gets to you!

BUT, my major complaint is the author's portrayal of the female characters. Yes, this book is getting up there in years, having been published in the 1970's. And while all the characters were never lovable, especially as their deepest secrets and fears were brought to light, the female characters in particular were portrayed rather poorly. No one was able to stand up for themselves. All of their hauntings and fears were sexual. Edith's only reason for being there was because she simply couldn't LIVE without her husband for a week without breaking down and had to stay by his side. And her greatest fear was discovering she was in fact a lesbian? Oh horrors! She also mentions how she and her husband rarely, if ever, have sex: he because of crippling polio, her because of a sexually abusive father. Remind me again why you can't live without your husband?

Anyway, despite the book actually being scary, and a great page turner, the sexism brought my rating down a bit. So if you don't mind a good, classic, whiny, dependent female character, but want something spoopy, then this book is for you!