This is such an interesting story. And so, so dark. It was certainly not scary, but it was a bit disturbing. I’m not even really sure what to say – I don’t want to ruin the story by giving too much away, but suffice to say that there are some very dark themes here – like the possibility that both Miles and Flora may have been sexually abused by the very people who are haunting them, and in Miles’ case, that he may be something other than what he seems. But so might the narrator. Or Flora. Or absolutely anyone else in the story, really. This book is an exercise in brilliantly frustrating ambiguity. James was (obvi) a very talented writer, and this is my favorite bit of his work, I think.
It is definitely going to be a down-the-line re-read for me. I need some time to properly digest it before diving back in. I think there is far more to this story than I was able to absorb this time around.
The story, to me, boils down to one question: do any of us really know good from evil?
