The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson is one of my favorite authors.

Eleanor is young woman who has spent the majority of her life taking care of her elderly mother. Strange things happened to her when she was younger, so an invite is sent to her from a Dr. Montague to join him at Hill House, a reportedly haunted house in the area. Along with Eleanor and Dr. Montague is Theodora, the good doctor’s assistant, and Luke, the heir of Hill House. Is the house haunted? Or is it the people inside?

I really loved this book. I’ve watched and rewatched the show and it’s become one of my comfort shows, even though it doesn’t exactly follow the book. The characters were clever and consistent, but Nell is an unreliable narrator for obvious reasons. I loved the descriptions of the house, and I wished they’d added that element to the house in the show where everything is built just slightly wrong. Can you imagine how uneasy that would make viewers, on top of the hidden ghosts? Delightful.

I would not recommend reading this book at night, though, because it did creep me out to the point of insomnia.

Trigger warnings: suicide, death, mental illness, death of parent, blood

⛈⛈⛈⛈☁️