The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson
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Particular books and movies are soothing to consume. The Sound of Music is a Christmas favourite of many and I heard that this book called ‘The Bible’ has some characters that people cling onto as well. One of my comfort books is nothing less than Shirley Jackson’s banger ‘The Haunting of Hill House’.
Watching the Netflix version was a lot, but not enough. Despite having lost some years of my life due to the jump scares, I was intrigued to learn more about the origin of the story. I hadn’t really read ‘proper horror’ before and was afraid of the irrational ghost paranoia that develops in the quiet dark hours when I’m all alone. At least I knew what was going to happen as the netflix version scarred me for life.
Many books written in the fifties/sixties have a somehow calming detached writing style. Saying less is more, but we know exactly what they aren’t saying *gay wink*. Shirley Jackson is great at portraying awkward queer women who don’t know how to express their infatuation under the guise of friendship. To be fair, at the time there weren’t really many other options, which only makes the book even more admirable. Horror and the queer community go hand in hand.
The story follows Eleanor, who is invited to spend time in the Hill House, a house that is believed to be haunted. The professor who wants to investigate the house invites her and two others to come experience the ‘wonders’ of the place. All of them have had previous encounters with the paranormal. Eleanor is more than happy to escape her mundane life, whatever the cost. Finally she can be a part of something. She quickly bonds with the other invitee Theodora and will do everything to stay in the house, in her presence. And Hill House agrees.
The book is completely different from the terrifying Netflix series. The characters of the series are merely inspired by the ones in the book (in the series they are all siblings) and the events on the screen seemingly have been given crack. The book is much more subtle, far less scary.
The Haunting of Hill House is ideally read in a cozy setting during dark rainy times to fit the story. I read the book while recovering from covid, in bed with my cats. During early 2021, when we didn’t know if life would ever be liveable again. I turned to books to keep me company, because seeing friends and going on dates inevitably gave me covid. The Haunting of Hill House is a book I hold dear to my heart and represents that little time period for me. If you approach the book with the right open mind for its absurdity, it may give you the same comfort it gave me.
Trigger warning: Ghosts, suicide, mental illness