A review by thebigemmt505
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious sad fast-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? Yes

3.25

The Haunting of Hill House is a novel much different than I expected it to be given all its hype as a scary ghost story. It follows four characters: two women who have had supernatural experiences, the hier to Hill House, and a doctor investigating the existence of the supernatural. The narrative centers around the perspective of Eleanor, one of the women, who slowly descends into madness while staying at Hill House. 

Of course, The Haunting of Hill House is a classic for a reason. Its writing is unique and intriguing, and the atmosphere is impeccably crafted through each paragraph. The book is relatively fast-paced, though it meanders through a lot of character dialogue that is, in all honestly, utterly bizarre. The dialogue is a strength and a weakness in the sense its strangeness fits the vibe of the environment, but it also makes the characters feel unreal, like they’re not even fully present in the narrative. I found myself un-intrigued by the characters aside from Eleanor. Eleanor is a meek and anxious woman who daydreams of excitement after a long, bleak life caring to an overbearing mother, and this characterization both makes her interesting and explains how she was so easily influenced by the house (or, alternatively, influenced by her own fragile mind in an unfamiliar environment.) Technically speaking, though, this book is very well written and executed. 

I expected more from the horror. It falls more into a gothic psychological horror category than a supernatural horror one. The narrative, ironically, was haunting more than it was scary. The supernatural events are vague and left to the interpretation of the reader which is again, a strength and a weakness. I found the whole novel to be more sad than scary and more intriguing than thrilling. While I’m satisfied with the read, the story fell a bit flat. It’s much more anti-climatic than one would be led to believe from the hype. It’s certainly an interesting exploration on the fragility of the human mind and the importance of belonging, lest one slips into the deceptive embrace of their own “Hill House,” but there was something missing. It might just be the hype around the book that opened this void, but it was there nonetheless. 

Oh, and also, I did not expect this book to be queer-coded. And like, ACTUALLY queer-coded, not the weird projection so many people put on every popular piece of media where a character slightly subverts gender or orientation norms. The weird dynamic between Eleanor and Theodora was fascinating. Bravo lesbians!!! 

Anyways, I enjoyed this one a lot, just not as much as I was hoping. I might have to look into some of the film adaptations of this to see how the horror translates on screen… 
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