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A review by anna_hepworth
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I can see why this is a classic horror story, and I imagine that it would translate quite well into a visual medium. While very well written, I didn't find myself gripped by it.
Lots of interesting details that I think may well have been picked up in later horror as worth developing - the cook with the very persistent phrasing and timing of events; the angles of the house that are just a bit off; how the haunting episodes occur.
What didn't work for me was the characterisation. The viewpoint character, Eleanor, was the best fleshed out, but only because we get a lot of what is going on in their head. The others were a bit flat. Particularly the two characters introduced later in the book, who were just a bit too close to farce, and seemed to be in a completely different genre of story. This might have been meant to intensify the creepiness the others were experiencing, but instead it managed to cheapen it.
Lots of interesting details that I think may well have been picked up in later horror as worth developing - the cook with the very persistent phrasing and timing of events; the angles of the house that are just a bit off; how the haunting episodes occur.
What didn't work for me was the characterisation. The viewpoint character, Eleanor, was the best fleshed out, but only because we get a lot of what is going on in their head. The others were a bit flat. Particularly the two characters introduced later in the book, who were just a bit too close to farce, and seemed to be in a completely different genre of story. This might have been meant to intensify the creepiness the others were experiencing, but instead it managed to cheapen it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent