Turn of the Screw by Henry James

In The Turn of the Screw, Henry James has written as much a Rorschach test as a ghost story. Craftily put together, this tale leaves it up to the reader to determine the real forces, supernatural or psychological, that may be at play in the lives of a young governess, a housekeeper and their two beautiful young charges.

The Turn of the Screw is not a James book that had been on my radar. More known to me were Daisy Miller and Portrait of A Lady.  It was when I read The Little Stranger and heard about all of the comparisons between that book and this one that my interest was piqued. James cleverly stages his novella, which is easily read over the course of a few hours, as a story within a story – dropping several clues about the character and situation of the governess.  It is her manuscript which comprises the bulk of The Turn of the Screw. The framework of the framing story is what reels the reader in, in the intimation that this story is one worth waiting for, and based upon on events that actually happened to a young woman (she know the man in possession of her papers). He may have been in love with her, though it seems that she loved someone else. James’ dexterity with the complex ambiguity of this narrative is admirable. From the very beginning, readers will think they know what is between the governess, and the children, Miles and Flora. I was absolutely on pins and needles trying to figure out which way the story would go, and for me the ending bore out the way that I suspected that it would – but I think the same can probably be said for any reading applied. Therein lies the beauty.  Although I must admit, that it was also a very frustrating read for many of the same reasons.  I spent a lot of time with the language and with my feelings about the veracity of the governess.  Everything hinges on whether or not you think she is telling the truth. There is also an interesting class dynamic at play between the governess and the housekeeper. I wasn’t particularly scared by anything I encountered, and my threshold for being scared is pretty low, so keep that mind if you are looking for something terrifying to read.  This isn’t it.  There is an uncomfortable tension throughout the novella that made it into a page turner, but I was able to sleep just fine.

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