My latest read was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. There were references to it in The Library of Borrowed Hearts, and I already knew that I loved Shirley Jackson after reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle a few years ago.

The Haunting of Hill House is defined as gothic psychological horror, so it’s technically the first horror novel I’ve ever read! Though, it is definitely on the tamer end of horror. It’s more about the unnerving element and psychological side than the keep-you-awake-at-night scary things.

I am conflicted, because part of me thinks that the book could have been drawn out a little more, focusing more on Eleanor’s descent into madness, but I also loved the way that the intensity hit so hard in the final pages. I particularly related to the main character of Eleanor, and believe that every ounce of so-called hysteria that she expressed towards the end of the book was completely justified. The way that she was treated by the other characters… I probably would have lost it long before she did.

It is a beautiful and haunting story, and more proof of why Shirley Jackson is one of the most talented authors in history. Though the book is not what you would call “fast paced,” it will have you invested from page one. She creates characters who are relatable, vibrant, and timelessly flawed. In this novel, she has made a setting that is a character of its own, which is a concept that I have very rarely seen explored so well.

If I haven’t convinced you that you should read this book by now, I will leave you with the opening line, which should do the trick. 

“No living organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.”