The Haunting of Hill House

Synopsis: This 1959 gothic thriller concerns four man characters: Dr John Montague, an investigator of the supernatural; Eleanor Vance, a shy young woman who has spent most of her young adulthood caring for her recently deceased, disabled mother; Theodora, a bohemian artist, and Luke Sanderson, the heir to Hill House. Montague hopes to find scientific evidence of the existence of the supernatural, and rents Hill House for a summer of paranormal exploration. Hill House is reputed by the locals to be haunted, so Montague feels sure SOMETHING exciting is going to happen. A variety of spooky events occur including unseen noises, ghosts roaming the halls, strange writing on the walls and other unexplained events. Eleanor seems most in tune to it all. Or maybe she’s just losing touch with reality?

Review: I give credit to Shirley Jackson for writing The Lottery, one of the scariest short stories I’ve ever read. So with spooky season upon us, it seemed a great time to dive into her famous ghost story, The Haunting of Hill House. This novel has been adapted into several movies, a play, and a recent Netflix series, but I’ve seen none of those things, so my thoughts pertain to the book only. On the surface, this is a story that feels quite familiar, but in an unexpected twist, we’re left wondering: is the house haunted, or is Eleanor just a bit too fragile in her control of her faculties? I love an unreliable narrator, and Eleanor is clearly a bit unbalanced! Sisterhood is a major theme in the book. At the beginning of the novel, we see Eleanor’s dysfunctional relationship with her sister before she leaves to spend the summer at Hill House. We have the orphaned sisters who lived in Hill House back in the day, and the Eleanor and Theodora who quickly become like sisters. All those relationships are complicated and fascinating, with jealousy simmering below the surface. I’m guessing Jackson either didn’t have a sister, or had a bad sister relationship. It’s a short book at barely 200 pages, so a quick Halloween read, and well worth it.

Rating: 5/5

Recipe: I love an easy Halloween food hack, and these Ghost Cookies from Food Netwrk Kitchen couldn’t be easier. Dressing up a store bought cookie is quick and easy, and leaves more time for making your costume. Use any oval or peanut shaped cookie you like, such as Nutter Butter or Pepperidge Farm Milano.

2 cups white chocolte chips

3 tablespoons cocnumt oil

24 oval cookies

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment

2) Combine the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler, and melt over simmering water. Stir until smooth.

3) Dip cookies into the shite chocolate until almost completely coated and lay on the prepared bakaing sheet. When all the cookies are dipped, refrigererate until the white chocolate is sete, about 15 minutes.

4) Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir until smoth. Transfer to a piping bag, and pipe 2 oval eyes and a slightly larger oval mouth on each ghost cookie. Return to the refrigerator until set, about 10 minutes.