The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

"Whether viewed as a subtle, self-conscious exploration of the haunted house of Victorian culture, filled with echoes of sexual and social unease, or simply as "the most hopelessly evil story we have ever read," The Turn of the Screw is probably the most famous of ghostly tales and certainly the most eerily equivocal."

Dana says: I hate scary movies but love scary books. My idea of scary is probably pretty tame compared to most peoples but I do enjoy the thrill of feeling a bit scared in my bed at night when I am reading. I will still never forget reading Steven King's "The Shining" while in high school and being terrified while reading it in the middle of the day in my bedroom, needing to turn the light on! I still consider that to be the scariest book I have ever read. Other books I have found scary, though in different ways would be Dracula and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James hit a different note- it wasn't scary as much as it was creepy and eerie. Anything with children and possible possession is at least these things. Though a short book page-wise (120 pages) it was surprisingly not a quick read. This was due to the writing style of James which was extremely dense and detailed as he slowly and subtly built up the suspense and tension of the story. In fact, I found his writing style to be unlike anyone else I have ever read and I am inspired to read more from him. The story itself was just okay but the way it was written and the ambiguity of certain things in it are what I really enjoyed about the book.