The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson
Published by: Penguin Classics
Pages: 246
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★★
Alone in the world, Eleanor is delighted to take up Dr Montague’s invitation to spend a summer in the mysterious Hill House. Joining them are Theadora, an artistic ‘sensitive’, and Luke, heir to the house. But what begins as a light-hearted experiment is swiftly proven to be a trip into their darkest nightmares, and an investigation that one of their number may not survive.
Acclaimed as one of the finest ghost stories of the twentieth century and filmed twice as The Haunting, this is an unsettling examination of how fear can make us our own worst enemy.
Acclaimed as one of the finest ghost stories of the twentieth century and filmed twice as The Haunting, this is an unsettling examination of how fear can make us our own worst enemy.
My thoughts:
Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is a classic psychological horror and revisiting it for the second time for this month’s book club at Good Day Café has only deepened my admiration for it. Jackson’s writing is as elegant and eerie as ever, creating an atmosphere that is equal parts unsettling and intoxicating.
This novel is so much more than a haunted house story – it’s a profound exploration of isolation, vulnerability, and the often-fragile boundaries of the mind. The character of Eleanor remains one of the most fascinating protagonists I’ve ever encountered. Her loneliness and yearning for belonging made her journey through Hill House even more haunting. On this second read, I found myself picking up on even more subtle details in Jackson’s prose, which masterfully blurs the line between the supernatural and psychological.
Hill House itself still feels alive, its descriptions so vivid and oppressive that the house becomes as much a character as any of the people inside it. Jackson’s ability to build tension is unparallelled, and the novel’s chilling, ambiguous conclusion is something that has stayed with me long after turning the final page.
Re-reading this one with one of my book clubs this month was a great experience – sharing perspectives only deepened my appreciation for the complexity and craft of the story. Whether you're a first-time reader or revisiting it like I did, The Haunting of Hill House remains a classic that never loses its power to thrill and unsettle.
Overall reaction:
