The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story
by Susan Hill
Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!
What real reader does not yearn, somewhere in the recesses of his or her
heart, for a really literate, first-class thriller - one that chills the body with
foreboding of dark deeds to come, but warms the soul with perceptions
and language at once astute and vivid? In other words, a ghost story by
Jane Austen.
Austen we cannot, alas, give you, but Susan Hills remarkable Woman In
Black comes as close as the late twentieth century is likely to provide. Set
on the obligatory English moor, on an isolated causeway, the story has as
its hero one Arthur Kipps, an up-and-coming young solicitor who has come
north to attend the funeral and settle the estate of Mrs. Alice Drablow of
Eel Marsh House. The routine formalities he anticipates give way to a
tumble of events and secrets more sinister and terrifying than any
nightmare: the rocking chair in the nursery of the deserted Eel Marsh

House, the eerie sound of pony and trap, a childs scream in the fog, and,
most dreadfully, and for Kipps most tragically, the woman in black.
The Woman In Black is both a brilliant exercise in atmosphere and
controlled horror and a delicious spine-tingler - proof positive that that
neglected genre, the ghost story, isnt dead after all.
Personal Review: The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan
Hill
This is perhaps my favorite ghost story of all time. I recently finished
reading her story, "The Man In The Picture: A Ghost Story," when I was
directed to Ms. Hill once again by a friend helping me research the best
constructed ghost stories. As a writer, this exactly what I desire to achieve.
She is a master at building tension. The atmosphere she creates is not
only something you observe, but you also feel it. This story in particular
entails a tangible sense of isolation. The main character is far removed
from his home as he travels to a rural area outside of London at his
employer's request. He is a young lawyer that must take care of the affairs
of a widow's estate.
The weather is as much a character in the book as the setting of the
house. Both are described to perfection. Even the setup of how the tale is
being told adds to the reader's experience. For some, the only drawback
has been that the ending seems a bit predictable. Honestly for me, that
wasn't my opinion. When the story was over, I felt empty. I wasn't done
with it. I wanted more. The haunting sensation lingered long after I closed
the cover. I recommend this book to anyone that wants a chilling, slow
speed, highly intense scare. I can't wait to read more of her work.
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