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A review by fran_c
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Book Oversimplified
The Haunting of Hill House is an unsettling ghost story told from the point of view of Eleanor, who grows more and more paranoid while she gets to know her companions in the meanderings of the terrible Hill House.
Quotes
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality”
“Since the gate was so clearly locked—locked and double-locked and chained and barred; who, she wondered, wants so badly to get in?”
“Perhaps she was to be allowed to speak occasionally for all of them so that, quieting her, they quieted themselves and could leave the subject behind them; perhaps, vehicle for every kind of fear, she contained enough for all.”
A Review Through Takeaways
Exception made for Ernest Hemingway, I rarely read American literature from the middle of the last century, and it took me a while to get over Shirley Jackson’s style which—please don’t crucify me for this—felt a teensy bit outdated.
That said, I’m of the opinion that style shouldn’t get in the way of mastery, and it couldn’t be truer for this fantastic book.
Although Horror standards have changed massively since The Haunting of Hill House was first published, (the subject of what scares us always brings to mind this spectacular Simpson’s Halloween Special about Edgar Allan Poe) Shirley Jackson managed to make me feel uncomfortable on my own, pregnant-wife-approved sofa in many occasions without the need of any gore or graphic description.
The way she does it is closer to pure magic than a technique; but after months of reflection, I have been able to identify one obvious trick, easy to hide in plain sight.
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That said, I’m of the opinion that style shouldn’t get in the way of mastery, and it couldn’t be truer for this fantastic book.
Although Horror standards have changed massively since The Haunting of Hill House was first published, (the subject of what scares us always brings to mind this spectacular Simpson’s Halloween Special about Edgar Allan Poe) Shirley Jackson managed to make me feel uncomfortable on my own, pregnant-wife-approved sofa in many occasions without the need of any gore or graphic description.
The way she does it is closer to pure magic than a technique; but after months of reflection, I have been able to identify one obvious trick, easy to hide in plain sight.
---
Read the rest of the review on my website!
https://www.francsart.com/booktakeaways/the-haunting-of-hill-house
https://www.francsart.com/booktakeaways/the-haunting-of-hill-house