My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Okay, after putting this book aside a few times, I'm SO glad I decided to give it another go. I'm not sure if it was because I changed the reading format (from paperback to Kindle), or if it was watching the very awesome Haunting of Hill House TV show. It could be both things that provided extra incentive.
When Dr. Montague, an occult scholar, invites several people to spend the summer in Hill House, he's hoping to find evidence of a haunting. Three people turn up: Theodora (a free spirit running from a fight), Eleanor (a lonely woman running from her controlling sister), and Luke (the future heir of Hill House).
The house feels strange pretty early on, and it's easy to get lost, but the foursome enjoy each other's company. Sticking together while checking out all the rooms seems to work, but this isn't a normal place. And it doesn't take long for the house to start responding...
Wow. Third time was definitely the charm with this one. Everything I initially found annoying or boring or slow, was exactly what hooked me in. So much that I couldn't put it down, and read it in a few days.
The story is told through Nell's POV and I enjoyed how she let herself get carried away with stories of a better life. I felt so bad for her because her family took her for granted and used her up, turning her into a shy, disconnected woman with too many vulnerabilities. Yet, she was clever and determined.
I also thought the other characters were interesting in their own way, and provided an awesome background for Nell. But the best character was the house. I loved how easy it was to get lost within the corridors, to end up as disoriented as Nell.
The dark imagery was vivid. The writing style so perfect for such an unreliable narrator, and keeps the reader guessing. Because that was another gem--how gradually Nell switches from vulnerable, to troublemaker. Not to mention how cool it was when I realised just what was going on during the night knocking.
And THAT ENDING!
Yeah, I'm really excited about how much I loved this book. It's such a claustrophic psychological horror.
I'm just going to end with how fantastic the TV show adaptation turned out. It took the most impressionable stuff and turned it into a new, yet familiar story. I recognised so many lines taken right from the book. Very cool.
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