The Turn of the Screw

Author: Henry James

Year: 1898

Famous for: AMBIGUITY. And some pretty creepy encounters with some pretty creepy ghosts.

Main character: The governess, who is either heroic and sane, or a woman in the middle of a mental breakdown

The scoop:

If there’s only one thing that can be said, for certain, about The Turn of the Screw, it’s this: This book is seriously creepy. And not just because The Turn of the Screw is essentially a ghost story. The Turn of the Screw is mostly creepy because you never really know what’s going on.

On the surface, this is a story about a young governess who takes on the task of caring for two children at their uncle’s country estate. But once the ghosts appear, Henry James leaves you hanging. Is the governess going insane? Are the children conspiring with the ghosts? And the ghosts themselves—do they have the power to do real harm? Warning: Henry James will not give you the satisfaction of ever knowing anything for sure.