A novel & A song: October edition
Shirley Jackson, Catriona Ward & Carmen Maria Machado
Macabre Monday: this edition is a rapid fire, horror books edition for October. I will give short reviews and a corresponding song for 3 books. Enjoy!
One:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
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House Song by Searows
How could I not mention the greatest haunted house novel ever written? The Haunting of Hill House follows Eleanor during her stay at Hill House with three others as part of a paranormal investigation she’s invited to. It’s a classic, and rightfully so; it has many layers to it, namely experience of women in that era. Eleanor is an enticing, extremely well written and strangely charming character. I would argue that understanding her on a personal level brings you closer to understanding the novel as a whole. It’s atmospheric, the writing is wonderful, and it’s everything you could want in a haunted house book.Â
The good: absolutely everything. The bad: nothing at all, actually! (people say its too slow, not enough horror, etc, but it’s perfect in my eyes)Â
Final thoughts: I would sell my soul to read this book for the first time again, so yes, I highly recommend it!Â
House Song feels like a correspondence of letters from Eleanor and the house. You decide who says what.Â
Standout lines:
Savior pulled from an open mouth / Did you want to be something more?Â
I keep you clean, you surrounded me / And my windows are breaking
Two:
Little Eve by Catriona WardÂ
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Sister by The Japanese House
Little Eve is a masterfully atmospheric fever-dream of a book. It follows Eve and her siblings (mainly her sister, Dina), growing up in a seaside castle on an island, and you are relatively positive that they’re involved in some sort of cult, but you can’t be sure if they’re unwilling participants or not. It has everything: weird and unsettling children, old isolated castle, and menacing prophecies of destruction.Â
The good: the tension and mystery. The bad: it’s difficult to keep up with the timelines and different characters at first.Â
Final thoughts: Catriona Ward is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. She has a knack for convincingly writing from first person perspective, her storylines are original and her characters are well fleshed out. Little Eve is a testament to her skill and I would recommend it this fall.Â
Sister reflects the volatile relationship between Eve and Dina in the book; there is an abundance of love, but there isde also an abundance of misunderstanding and resentment.Â
Standout lines:Â
She’s standing outside and she’s my next of kin
If only you knew what resided within / I won’t let her in
We’ve broken the bread and I choked on a threat / Again and againÂ
Three:Â
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
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The Cage by Vera Sola Â
Her Body and Other Parties is a collection of short stories that explores the horror of womanhood. I couldn’t possibly sum up just how intense and wonderfully crafted this book is in a paragraph, but if you want to read more. Each story is wildly different but follows a singular theme: women's bodies. Betrayal, brutality, motherhood, and queer relationships take center stage in these stories, and it is not an easy read, but it is, I believe, a necessary one.Â
The good: the writing & the stories are beyond brilliant. The bad: not bad per say, but it is not for the faint of heart.Â
Final thoughts: It’s violent and unabating and raw and it is absolutely worth your time, especially if you enjoy horror and/or women's literature, and/or queer literature.Â
The Cage is a reimagining of the story of Eve. It’s rather haunting and like Her Body and Other Parties, it focuses on women’s roles in narratives. Vera Sola gives a voice to Eve, as Machado does for the characters in her stories.
Standout lines:
How should I wear my teeth? / And I color my cheeks?
Where should I promise these? / Oh the organs of my rib cage
I am the absence of
I am a sin dark dove
That’s all for now, take care of yourself!