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Good Reading : May 2015
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GOODREADINGMAGAZINE.COM.AU GOOD READING MAY 2015 42 The Haunting of Hill House Shirley Jackson First published in 1959, The Haunting of Hill House has been descr ibed by Stephen King as one of the best hor ror novels of the late 20th century. But the book failed to live up to its reputation. Dr John Montague, an anthropologist and amateur psychical researcher, has rented the 80-year-old mansion of Hill House for the purpose of investigating the paranormal phenomena that have allegedly taken place within its walls. Accompanying him in his research are three young people who make up this quartet of doughty ghost hunters. Commentators have said that the story lacks overt hor ror and instead relies on ‘terror’. But unfortunately I felt more tedium than terror while slogging through it. Something unseen pummels a few bedroom doors with hinge-rattling force in the middle of the night, and one of the guests of Hill House finds a message wr itten in a red substance – possibly blood – on her bedroom wall. But nothing much else occurs until the end. The wife of Dr Montague – herself an amateur summoner of spirits – provides a bit of comic relief when she arr ives at the mansion about halfway through the novel, but I was looking for suspense rather than limp humour. Turning the pages was hard labour rather than the nerve-racking, nail-biting pleasure it should have been. This book made me feel more like filing my nails than biting them. Susan Hill, the English writer who has been descr ibed as the master of the moder n ghost story, does it so much better. She expertly creates a world of impending doom that makes you wonder what awful fate awaits her characters. But in this book, all I wanted was for my own suffer ing – caused by reading this boring book – to end as soon as possible. ★ Penguin $24.99 Reviewed by Tim Graham Black Rock White City A S Patric Jovan is a hospital cleaner. A refugee from the Bosnian War. A for mer literature professor and poet now forced into overalls each day. He’s a father rendered childless and a husband distanced from his wife, Suzana, by the unfathomable hor rors they exper ienced together in their home town of Sarajevo. Bizarre and cryptic graffiti begins to appear in the Melbourne hospital where he works. It starts on the walls, spreads into bathroom cubicles and floors and is etched onto patient’s bodies. What initially starts as a source of gossip and intrigue becomes increasingly threatening as Jovan realises the unidentified graffiti artist is trying to communicate with him. Jovan and his wife, Suzana, are both writers stripped of confidence and their ability to express themselves as well as they once did. Their lives in suburban Melbourne are frustratingly mundane compared to their work as academics in Sarajevo before they were forced to flee. Snippets of Jovan’s poetry work their way into the story in shining and lyrical little passages, although these ebb away as Jovan becomes increasingly tor mented and isolated. He clings proudly to his strong Serbian accent, even though he knows he is judged for it and considered a dumb immigrant. This is a superbly executed work of experimental literature that explores the effects of a war overlooked by most Australians and the story of two displaced souls in suburban Melbourne. Lyrical yet gritty, this is a fiercely and brilliantly written debut. ★★★★★ Transit Lounge $29.95 Reviewed by Angus Dalton GENERAL FICTION WOM word of mouth RATINGS ★ ★ ★★ ★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★ RG AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR researcher, has rented the 80-year-old mansion much else occurs until the end. The wife of Dr Montague – herself an amateur summoner of spir its – provides a bit of comic relief when she arrives at the mansion about halfway through the novel, but I was looking for suspense rather than limp humour. Turning the pages was hard labour rather than the nerve-racking, nail-biting pleasure it should have been. This Black Rock White City A S Patric JJWar. A former literature professor and poet now forced The Haunting of Hill House message wr itten in a red substance – possibly blood – on her bedroom wall. But nothing graffiti artist is trying to communicate with him. Reviewed by Angus Dalton Classic Revisited
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