The Haunting of Hill House

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Shirley Jackson: The Haunting of Hill House (1959, Penguin Books)

English language

Published April 22, 1959 by Penguin Books.

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5 stars (1 review)

The Haunting of Hill House is a 1959 gothic horror novel by American author Shirley Jackson. A finalist for the National Book Award and considered one of the best literary ghost stories published during the 20th century, it has been made into two feature films and a play, and is the basis of a Netflix series. Jackson's novel relies on terror rather than horror to elicit emotion in the reader, using complex relationships between the mysterious events in the house and the characters' psyches. The book is dedicated to Leonard Brown, Jackson's English teacher at Syracuse University.

4 editions

reviewed The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Lives up to the hype

5 stars

I'm tired of haunted house books that focus on the house and the characters are just afraid. The thing that I love about this book is that it is a complex psychological portrait of a character, which includes more than just her reaction to the house. From the first that we meet her, Eleanor is a compelling character. What makes her fascinating is that you just can't quite figure out what is going on with her. And that makes the ending, although heavily foreshadowed, shocking.