Dolly, by Susan Hill

A mistreated doll haunts an old house in this new reissue of the Susan Hill classic. 

In the English Fens, a marshy region in Eastern England, lies the hamlet of Iyot Lock. Two children, cousins Leonora and Edward, are visiting their Aunt Kestrel, who has a large, dilapidated house there. Edward is a timid child, sensitive and withdrawn, while his cousin Leonora is dark, brooding and possibly evil. She complains that she would like a beautiful doll, the type of which she describes to Edward, who in turn makes a painting of the imagined toy. She wants an Indian bride doll, with elaborate clothes and jewels and braiding in its hair. When Aunt Kestrel visits London, she buys Leonora a doll, thinking this will satisfy the child. But it turns out it's not the sort of doll she wants at all. Instead she receives a baby doll, made of china, with blue eyes and a rosebud mouth. In her fury Leonora throws the doll at the marble fireplace, violently cracking its head open.

The broken doll spooks Edward. He hears it crying out in the night. Finally, after several days of the haunting cries, he decides to bury the doll in the church's graveyard, with chilling consequences.

Every page of Susan Hill's Dolly drips with dread and menace. She brings to life the creepy English Fens with her pared back but evocative prose. A sense of suspense and looming horror keep the reader fully immersed in the story. The characters are believable and well-drawn. The foul tempered Leonora is truly frightening. Because the author creates such an authentic atmosphere, one that causes the heart to tremble, the supernatural aspects of the story also pay off. It feels like a nightmare from which the sleeper struggles to wake. 
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Classic horror for fans of Angela Carter and Shirley Jackson.

Dolly, by Susan Hill. Published by Vintage Arrow. $22.99

MAR24