Book Review : The Haunting of Hill House

I’ve been really into reading lately.
 
Who am I kidding, I’m constantly “really into reading”.
But I’ve been enjoying more frequent trips to the book store and I’ve definitely been stepping out of my comfort zone with different genres. However, one genre that I’ve always appreciated is horror. Whenever a horror story finds its way to me, I cannot put it down until I’ve read that book cover to cover. It’s almost like there’s a spell in these books that keeps you from doing other things until the story has been completely told. I remember when I was in University, I checked a horror book out of the library before a class and I ended up reading throughout the whole class. I finished the whole book! In one three-hour sitting! And I know I’m not the only one who gets caught up in books, don’t lie.
 
On my most recent trip to Chapters, I stumbled upon The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson. This was purely coincidental, but it caught my eye because I had just finished watching the original Netflix series of the same name. I had completely devoured the 10 episodes and I had no idea it was based off of a book. Actually, I should say it’s inspired by the book, and not based off of. I think that’s something that’s really important to keep in mind when you read the book. In any case, I bought it and, true to my old habit, I finished it in about 3 sittings. I know the series on Netflix got a lot of hype, so I thought that I would do a book review featuring the original story.
 
The Haunting of Hill House was written in 1959 by Shirley Jackson, a horror/fantasy author. It depicts the story of four strangers who find themselves staying at Hill House – an old abandoned house with a shady past – to study its paranormal reputation; Dr. Montague, Theodora, Eleanor and Luke. At first it seems like nothing is happening, but Hill House slowly takes its toll on them.
 
The major thing to mention is that the book and the series are completely different. The book is way less detailed and there’s a lot less to the story. I was actually a bit disappointed by the “horror” factor. Sure, there are a few passages that give you major chills, but nothing to keep you up at night. Hill House essentially being a haunted mansion, I was expecting to read about sleepless nights where creepy creatures come alive. Instead, just when I thought the story was maybe starting, I realized that I was unfortunately already halfway through the book. That’s when I gave up the hope that it would get really spooky at any point. While I particularly enjoyed the psychological aspect of the story, I was constantly waiting for more stuff to happen. That being said, I must have gotten into the story somehow, because when I reached the last page, I found myself wishing the book had been longer. I feel like the characters were only just getting a feel of Hill House when the story dramatically ended. My point is, don’t read the book expecting the written version of the Netflix series (which is jam-packed with chilling events). Just like with any book, it’s best to go into it with little to no expectations and simply enjoy the ride.
 
My favorite thing about the entire story has got to be the atmosphere of Hill House. That semi abandoned house, standing alone in the dark of the woods, has just the right amount of spookiness. It’s the kind of house you could stare at a picture of for hours, imagining ghosts and mischievous spirits roaming in every room. Even though not much is actually happening to the four principal characters, just being in that house with a wild imagination is enough.
 
I did enjoy the characters, even though they are very minimally described. You don’t know much about any of them or their life outside of Hill House. Then again, you don’t know much about what happens outside of Hill House at all. The entire story is told from Eleonard’s perspective, which means that you miss out on a lot. Eleonard has a lot of moments where she’s not completely there or she’s lost in thoughts, so it’s hard to know what is real for the other characters and what is tinted with Eleonard’s perspective. I also feel like a lot of things about Eleonard’s life are hinted at, but never fully explained. Some passages definitely feel like they’re coming from another book with the same characters that you should know about. If you’ve seen the Netflix series, only the characters of Eleonard, Theodora and Mr. & Mrs. Dudley are fairly similar. Luke, while also in the series, is completely different. I actually liked the original version of him way better – mainly because he’s more alert and involved.
 
To finish the comparison between the book and the series, the main difference is that Netflix decided to make the story about a family who lives at Hill House for a certain amount of time, instead of colleagues visiting the house for a few days. That makes a big difference in terms of memories of the house (which are almost inexistent in the book), emotional ties to Hill House, and the relationship between the characters. At the end of the book, the four colleagues are still just strangers temporary sharing a house that may or may not be haunted. Oddly (and very unusually), I feel like the Netflix series was more complete than the book that inspired it.
 
Over all, I’d give this book 3 stars out of 5. I did enjoy the personalities of the characters, the general feeling of Hill House and the idea behind the story. I also have a soft spot for older books with a story that is untouched by present times, which it definitely is. However, I wish the story would have been more complete, with a lot more scary encounters. I feel like I could have easily read 300 more pages of this story.
 
If you’ve read The Haunting of Hill House, please let me know what you thought, or let me know if you end up reading it! If you love a good horror story and have good books to share, please leave your recommendations down below!
 
Happy reading!

Much love,