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

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

This was a fantastic work of horror and an exploration of the mind, identity, and grief. There are also multiple ways to interpret the book and the ending, and all of them are interesting and valid. It was funny, because about halfway through the story I found myself wondering when something scary would happen, and then it of course did and was done amazingly. One scene specifically stuck with me terribly and made it difficult to sleep, but my imagination easily runs wild after consuming horror media, so people without an active imagination would probably sleep soundly. Nonetheless, the horror scenes are not only eerie, but also interesting and very clearly described. The characters themselves are quite charming, except for the ones that are deliberately meant to not be liked, and the dynamic between the characters is even more fascinating, and even fun early on. Over time, things get more complicated, especially with our narrator Eleanor who forms a very strong connection to the house. There is a lot in this short book, and I was satisfied with the ending, even if I expected it a little bit - although the ending was much more perfect and haunting than I could have imagined. In general, there is a ton to think about, and a lot to explore within the story. 

I have some thoughts I want to note about the interpretations:
We know Eleanor may have some sort of power that could have caused the rocks raining on her house when she was a child, and this is likely why the doctor called her to the house (same as with Theodora). I think it is quite possible that perhaps the house was straight up haunted and negatively affected the group while also desiring for them to stay in the house. Strangely the house latched onto Eleanor especially and this culminates in Eleanor possibly being possessed and wanting to be a part of the house, ending with her death when the group tries to send her away for fear of her health. However, there are lots of little strange hits spattered throughout the story that may point to Eleanor possibly using her own powers, and maybe even experiencing intense mental illness. Eleanor is wracked by depression, a lack of identity, grief and guilt over her mother, an intense feeling of being alone as well as an outcast, and possibly schizophrenia. Over time, some of the characters seemingly chuckle at her and act oddly towards her, and some of this could be the effect of and weight of the house (like when Theo got very mad at Eleanor after discovering the red liquid), but it was to such an extent that I also wonder if Eleanor was misinterpreting things or even seeing things that were not truly being expressed by the other characters. She starts to watch the other characters to see if they talking badly about her, and of course they do not. Either the house is twisting her against them, or her mind is overwhelmed by the fear of being an outcast, or both. I feel like not all of the haunting experiences were caused by Eleanor, but perhaps some at the end really were. There is just so much to consider when exploring this book, and it is so fascinating. Regardless of what the true interpretation is (or maybe there isn't one and Shirley Jackson intended all of them in a way) Eleanor no doubt develops a strange connection to the house that has many parallels throughout the book, either from her deep grief and powers causing the happenings, or the house seeing what Eleanor does not have and finding a way to give it to her. I sort of see it as both.
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