“The Haunting of Hill House,” by Shirley Jackson

FM's ratings:

1.      Premise 8

2.      Prose 9

3.      Plot 8

4.      Characters 9

5.      Overall 9

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Written in 1959, this novel has many elements that are fresh by today’s standards.  Sure, today’s version would have contained a lot of sexual overtones, more “love interest,” maybe even a steamy sex scene.  Jackson wasn’t interested in writing that kind of book, and we can do without a tired old re-hashing of those themes.  Sex and “love” haven’t changed much over the years; just the prevalence of them in fiction.  The tired old “haunted house” theme has had a little too much exposure as well, but the treatment here is rather unique.  The description of the house itself; its layout, its construction; is interesting.  And the manifestations of supernatural elements, though predictable in some aspects, are given some nice unique twists in others.  Those looking for a “classic” haunted house story might be disappointed – those looking for a good story with some superbly wrought characters will not.  The characters are the highlight, especially Theodora, a brash, smart, sarcastic “today’s woman.”  (Think Jennifer Lawrence as she is OFF camera!  She’ll say anything!)  The character of Doctor Montague could be played by any of our venerable actors who have “aged out” of the more standard male protagonist roles.  The prose is vintage Jackson, very readable and compelling, if not stunning by current standards.  This is a must-read for “Horror” aficionados – and highly recommended for anyone!