The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Author:  Shirley Jackson

Genre:  Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural, Gothic

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  7.5/10

Story:  7.5/10

Writing:  7.5/10

My Verdict:  8/10

Nothing like a good, old-fashion, haunted house story that makes you question not only the character's sanity in all of the story, but yours as well.  This book is purely psychological; it messes with the character's head, as well as yours.  It leaves you wondering... how much of it was actually real?  

The story is simple, but the story of the house isn't.  Four people stay in a house with a shady, dark past, to get evidence of the paranormal.  But little did they know that the evil the house holds is not in the form of ghosts or demons... it's the house itself!  And soon, it will claim one soul!

Dr. Montague is anthropologist, determined to get evidence of the paranormal.  He enlists the help of two women, who previously had experience with the paranormal, named Eleanor and Theodora, as well as the help of the future heir of the house itself, Luke Sanderson.  Dr. Montague, Eleanor, Theodora and Luke will live in the house, making records of what they experience there, only to find out that there is something seriously wrong with the house — or is it? 

The house sits on a hill in the overlooking a smalltown.  The locals don't speak of it, and the caretakers do not dare stay in the house after dark.  Yet these four people choose to voluntarily stay in the house to get proof of the paranormal.  Believe me, it will get very ugly, very soon.

I came across the book when I was searching for a "haunted house" book.  I like the concept of hauntings in movies and TV shows.  I watch a LOT of ghost hunting shows and documentaries because I find it fascinating.  So I thought: "Why not read a book about a haunted house?".  This book came first on the list, and I gave it a go.

As I wrote earlier, the book is about a man, Dr. Montague, that plans to make his own research with a group of people in a "supposedly" haunted house.  And he had to choose the most notorious.

Each of the "volunteers" were drawn to the research for different reasons, which adds to the variety of the book.  Eleanor Vance, the main character of the book and the person you will be following, wanted to leave a horrible life behind, find new people and get a fresh start.  She's been living a hell for so long that she doesn't know life outside of it all.  We also have Theodora, who was simply curious and wanted an adventure.  And Luke had to go, since the current owner of the house and Luke's aunt only allowed Dr. Montague to use the house as long as a family member was present.  Luke was supposed to inherit the house would something happen to Mrs. Sanderson, so it did him good to actually live it.  Don't worry, he'll regret it — they all will.

Reading Experience: 7.5/10

A very good read, and a fast one too.  To me, anything paranormal and mysterious is fascinating.  Add people making an investigation about it all, and a house with a dark, horrible past... and BOOM!  The Haunting of Hill House!

I found it very interesting and quite different from what I'm used to read.  For starters, Eleanor is very unreliable and untrustworthy.  She is going through a LOT, and adding to the horrible things she will encounter in the house... well, suffice to say that you, the reader, will not know whether or not what you are reading, and what Eleanor is going through is, in fact, real.

To be honest, it's not a book that scared me.  It didn't give me nightmares, it didn't scar me or traumatize me... but it fascinated me.  The writing, the story, the hauntings... it was all so good!

What I liked most about the book is that, whenever a haunting takes place, it's more psychologically unnerving than those seen on movies.  For example, we are used to having ghosts appear at the end of hallways, or having knocks and moans in the middle of the night, but Jackson does a completely different thing.  She doesn't intend on scaring you with cheap jump-scares, her goal is to creep the fudge out of you.

Okay... did anybody hear that?!?!?!

Why show you a ghost, when she can have you feel it, or hear it?  Why waste time having something bump or knock in the middle of the night, when there can be scratching and even crashing noises!

Trust me, the book might not scare you shitless, but I guarantee that it will at LEAST creep you out far beyond the last sentence.

Story:  7.5/10

It's not rocket science.  It's a "haunted" house and people to experience the "hauntings".  The story develops in a way that tests not only the psyche of the characters, but yours as well.  You, along with the characters, live in the house.  You can hear it settle, you can see it move, you can feel it breathing.  I don't know how Jackson managed to evoke those feelings in a short novel, but she did it.  And I enjoyed the book because of it.

Bravo, Miss Jackson!  Bravo!

And apart from the actual story, Shirley Jackson managed to evoke a feeling of impending doom.  You get a feeling like the events in the house are escalating,  You go full speed ahead into the unknown.  You have no idea what's going to happen, and you start to lose your mind along with the characters.  It's only a matter of time...

"What is she DOING?!"  "I can't look!"

Writing:  7.5/10

Simple and easy to read.  It's also a short novel, in my opinion.  Or, at least, it felt like that.  The story is straight-forward, so you get to the action very soon.  The narrative is pleasant and never boring or dragging.  I particularly liked the narrative during the "hauntings", which felt like it slowed down just enough for you to know what's going on without feeling like it's dragging or going to fast.  A perfect pace, a pleasant narrative and an interesting plot.  What's more to say?

My Verdict:  8/10

It's a really good book, a classic.  I recommend it wholeheartedly, specially for those who want a genuinely creepy book without unnecessary gore scenes or jump-scares.  That being said, you have to keep in mind that some of the topics are somewhat...uncomfortable.  Eleanor is consumed by depression, so the story takes a gloomy, darker tone.  Apart from the situation in question, there is some sexual tension between the characters, mostly coming from Theodora towards the others, including Eleanor.  Even though nothing is explicit or explicitly stated, it's still apparent.  Did that ruin the book for me or distracted me from the story?  NO!  In fact, it made the characters a little bit more believable, in my opinion.  It made me love/hate the characters as if they were real people, making real mistakes.  Again, Bravo, Miss Jackson!  

Still, I DO recommend it.  It's a brilliant, creepy story with fascinating characters and a somewhat unexpected ending.  I recommend it to people of all ages (well, young adults and forward), those that like horror or LOVE it like me.  Believe me, you won't regret it.  This is THE haunted house story, the one that started it all.  Why wouldn't you want to read it?

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Salutations fellow Bookworms!  I hope you liked my review!  If you have any thoughts to share, if you agree or disagree or if you’d like to share anything, let me know on the comments!  You can also tweet me on Twitter, follow me on Instagram, on Tumblr or add me on GoodReads!  Happy Reading!