The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
182 pages
Published 1959
Read from September 29 to September 30
Rating: ★★★★ out of 5
When there are two women in a room, they must come to instinctively despise each other: that seems to be the operative rule for female characters in much of 20th century fiction. That trite and automatic antagonism between the two female leads is the only sour note in what is otherwise a masterpiece of literary horror. The character of Eleanor is fascinating, and the way her psychological fragility engages with whatever may be said to lurk in Hill House was expertly plotted and portrayed. The banter and repartee between the leads was hilarious, if occasionally seeming forced and artificial, though perhaps people really did talk that way at the time, for all I know. The detailed touches of character, description, and interaction were a delight throughout the book.
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