A literary classic in horror, this book shows how a "vibe" can become a present protagonist alongside a human cast. Chilling passages allow your mind to run wild with unfulfilled promises and teases and Shirley's command of the written word only helps to bolster the image of a house that is sick and immerses the reader into its 4 walls and unmappable interior.

The magic of the story is not in what is shown, but rather what is not. What may lurk at the end of a dark hallway, what may await behind a closed door or what that sound was heard outside the room. It picks at you and throws you into insanity, bringing you back out into sanity for some air before drowning you back in it. The narrative switching between the objective and Eleanor's subjective view helps incredibly to blur the lines between what's real and what's not. Small details in the story such as the appreciation of one's own mere existence or the color of one's shoes helps connect the reader with the main characters and ground the story in a space where fiction can become reality at arm's length, simply by slipping and admitting a little into insanity.

Constant exposure to Eleanor's thoughts help you follow her along her path to her only possible ending, journeys end in lover's meeting!