I read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson over the weekend, and in all honesty I don’t really know how to describe it or what to make of it. All I can say with certainty is that I haven’t read anything quite like it, or anything quite so disconcerting.
It is really unsettling. It is really strange. I loved it and was kind of repulsed by it.
Despite having ‘haunting’ in the title, there are no ghosts in the book. Just lots of bumps in the night, doors that won’t stay open (and may or may not lead to the room that you thought was there before), and a lot of unreliable – or maybe it’s reliable, who the hell even knows? – narration.
It’s brilliant. You should read it.
And if you do, can you please let me know and help me understand what just happened…
Joanna Corbet 