The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: Book Review

I was never really planning on reading this book until I came across it in my library’s audiobook archive. I mean, I loved the Netflix series of the same name, and I love horror, but if I am being honest with you, I am never one to immediately reach for a book that is labeled a “classic.” I know! Burn me at the stake, whatever. I just never really enjoy classics.

But there was something about this book that made me hit that borrow button. I wonder what it could be… Just kidding, it is definitely the promise of a haunted house.

I watched the Netflix series a year ago, and honestly, I don’t remember much about it. So, I am looking forward to rewatching it now that I have finished the book, so I can compare them! I don’t know why but I have a feeling they are very different… Stay tuned for a blog post about that!

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Content Warning: Suicide, car crash

I didn’t mind this book. It almost felt like a three-star read for me, my I think I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, that I boosted my ratings just a little.

Anyway, what did I like about this book? I liked the writing. It was beautifully descriptive while also being easy to understand. My foggy brain cannot focus on deciphering words right now, so I appreciated that this one was straightforward, but not simple. Does that make sense?

I also loved the atmospheric quality that the author, Shirley Jackson, created. I almost felt like I wanted to be at Hill House with the characters… except not because it is haunted. But it just felt kind of cozy, and I loved reading about them all chilling in the parlor room or eating their meals together. The characters created a sort of routine in their life at Hill House and I don’t know, maybe I like routine so much I found it comforting.

The reason I felt like this was a 3-star read is because it follows the same type of story that books like Doll House by Hendrick Ibsen and The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The main character, who is a woman, desperately wants to leave her life behind and find herself as a person, only it doesn’t end up well. Although The Haunting of Hill House was written almost 60 years after the other two books, I still felt this same trope used, and I hate it. I hated Doll House and The Awakening so much, so this little thing really put a damper on my reading experience. This story was the same thing just… set in a haunted house.

One final thing, I thought the characterization of this book was fantastic, but I felt no connection to any of the characters. Although I loved that Eleanor was an unreliable narrator, she bothered me sometimes, along with Theo and Luke.

Overall though, I really did like reading this book, and I am excited to see how it compares to the TV show when I finally get a second to watch it.

Do you like to compare books to their TV or film adaptations? It is one of my favorite things to do, because I love to see the changes and liberties that film creators and TV producers make. I don’t think adaptations need to be perfect representations of the book. Changes are going to occur when you put creatives on a project.

Have you read this book, or have you ever thought about reading it? Let me know in the comments below!