The Haunting of Hill House

Author: Shirley Jackson

One-sentence summary: A woman gets an invitation to stay at a mysterious and haunted house for research and finds herself strangely attached to the house and it to her.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: It was a short and fast-paced story.

Our least favorite thing about it: It was very odd in many ways and did not meet our expectations.

Main Topics of Discussion: TV vs. Books, Scary Then vs. Now, Relationships – parental, friends, romantic

Our favorite quote: “Fear is the relinquishment of logic, the willing relinquishing of reasonable patterns. We yield to it or we fight it, but we cannot meet it halfway.”

Notes: We wanted to love this book more than we actually did. Had we had different expectations, we would have enjoyed it more. Most of us were expecting something very scary and perhaps a little more modern in its story telling style. But what we got was an odd and very creepy story that we didn’t find particularly scary and that confused us with vague conversations between characters that left us scratching our heads. Ultimately, it was a fast and easy read that was fine - just not what we were expecting. Our other thoughts:

1. Dara (who has seen the whole TV series) noted that not only were the two stories completely different, the TV one was definitely more scary and that affected her read of the book.
2. Dr. Montague’s wife was hands down the best part of the whole book. Her character and dialogue were priceless. We wondered at her relationship with Arthur.
3. We noted how the house was one of the characters in the story. Not only does Jackson explicitly give it human characteristics, but it features so much in the action of the story. For example, the layout and shape of the house contribute to its character and how the other characters experience it.
4. As a continuation of #3, the main question of the book is: did Eleanor kill herself or did the house kill her?
5. And further, the house being described as motherly fed into the theme of terrible relationships with mothers such as Eleanor had with hers. The house was soft and even inviting at first and then turned dark and cruel. It’s an interesting description and look into mothers – and the house.
6. We wondered how the action sometimes was glossed over. Things would happen and then never really be discussed. It was also odd that everyone was so chill about the haunting experiences. They just took them for granted and moved on. It was weird.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We got to tour Dara’s newly renovated home and see her new wood floors!

What We Ate: Josh made Braised Short Ribs for us, served over a Butternut Squash Risotto with roasted Brussels Sprouts. Dara made her Pumpkin Crumble with Whipped Cream for dessert.