Title: The Figure in the Carpet
Author: Henry James
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 60
Rating 2/5
I enjoyed The Turn of the Screw when I read that, but I just couldn’t get on board with this one. The ideas and the language were good, but the execution bored me.
Title: The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 252
Rating: 4/5
Shirley Jackson – The Haunting of Hill House
I’ve been meaning to get to this book for a while now, but I just somehow haven’t found the time. Then the Netflix adaptation came out and everyone says it’s great, and I didn’t want to watch it without having read the book first. So here we are.
All in all, I thought this was great, reminiscent almost of a cross between The Turn of the Screw by Henry James and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Jackson is a cracking writer, as I already knew from picking up some of her short stories, and her words are powerful here. It’s the kind of book that sticks in your head and gives you an almost physical reaction. It makes your hands go clammy and gives you goosebumps.
I wouldn’t say that this is a book that absolutely everyone should read, but it’s definitely a decent idea if you’re into horror. Jackson was a big influence for Stephen King and after reading this book, I can see why. But you shouldn’t pick this up because King is a fan or because of the Netflix show, even though that’s what I did. You should pick it up because it’s a great book, a short read and a lot of fun. Just try not to let Hill House get inside your head too much. Oh, and sweet dreams.
Shirley Jackson
