The Turn of the Screw - Henry James

 Henry James' classic novella The Turn of the Screw tells the tale of a young governess who arrives at a grand house to care for two unusual and distant children, Miles and Flora, on a dilapidated and eerie estate with mystery around every corner. The governess believes herself to be going mad, as she keeps seeing half-formed figures and faces watching her at windows, which creates an ominous and haunting atmosphere about the house. As well as this, she struggles to really form a connection with the children, who at times are very affectionate towards her and at other times couldn't be more standoffish. 

She soon begins to realise that the apparitions about the estate seek to poison the children's innocent minds and corrupt their souls with evil, and have even begun to influence and encourage the children to misbehave and rebel against her authority. She often finds them missing or away from their beds at night, colluding with each other and the spirits to trick her and draw her attention away from their misdemeanours. The scariest part is that the children are not frightened of the terrors all around them, and seem not to even think anything is amiss.

James' writing is, naturally, far from the style of prose we recognise today - the book having been written in 1898 - but this only adds to the charm and eeriness of the tale. This short little novella is completely gripping and enchanting, super Gothic (which I adore) and such a classic - a must-read!