this book is on almost every "best of gothic horror" list on the planet, so maybe my expectations were too high
it's certainly gothic, and jackson executes her narrator's disordered, childish mind with a lot of skill. the house and its surroundings are vividly sketched. reading it is like looking into one of those super detailed miniature dioramas you find at museums. when i finally done, i asked myself why i enjoy but not this. there are way more similarities than i would've guessed when i first started

i tried to read this twice and thought similarly! her short stories seem a little bit stronger
i'll check them out, i usually think horror works better in short formats anyhow