The Turn of the Screw by Henry James published by Penguin
I've had this on my shelf for quite a while now, waiting until just before The Haunting of Bly Manor comes to Netflix before reading it. With it coming next month I thought now was the time to get reading.
(I did watch an adaptation at the end of last year, and I wish now I hadn't because I would have liked to go into the book knowing very little, hence me reading it just before the new adaption)
It is the story of a governess who has been appointed to look after a young girl, and then also her older brother, by the children's uncle. The uncle doesn't live with them and very much doesn't want to be bothered by the governess. So they, and a skeleton crew of staff, are left to their own devices at Bly Manor. All seems well enough, until the governess sees the figure of a man she doesn't know watching her on the grounds of the manor. Who is he, and what is his connection to the children?
This is a very short book, and easy enough to read over a few hours. I liked the governess, who's point of view most of the story is told from. There is a real sense of her state of mind changing as the story develops, which helps add to the tension. I think the fact that children where involved makes the situation creepier, and the ending more shocking.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a quick sinister read in the build up to Halloween and beyond.
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