Some Books Do Scare Me

Last night I got to thinking about why some books scare the bajesus out of me, and my shyness reading them. I haven't really focused on that topic before, and am generally against banning books etc., But on the other hand, as a kid, my parents had a policy that we could read any book we wanted. I realized I don't really agree with that policy, for kids. So, got to thinking about it last night and then I remembered. There were three books I read from the middle school library that scared me quite badly as a 11 year old (give or take a year). I don't remember what the books were called, although I probably could figure it out.

In any event the story was centered around an orphan or young girl of some kind who goes to live with this 'wonderful' family in this 'wonderful' house on the edge of the sea cliff in Maine. The people would do subtle things to try to make the girls go mad- change the paintings in the bedroom with only tiny changes in the paintings so that you couldn't really tell. The girls would end up stark raving mad, and have to be hospitalized, then everyone would be so sad for the 'wonderful' people who tried so hard. Then in the next book they would try to 'help' a new girl. It was a trilogy, each girl fighting back. Only the last won; I think she had to kill them in a car accident or something like that.

Now the story line itself doesn't really bother me. What bothered me was, well, how it was written. It seemed, at the time, like a very well written book. I really 'felt' the characters, and connected with them deeply as they spiraled into madness.  They were a few years older than me, but the book really got into my head and twisted me about. To have them actually go mad in the books... well it really affected me. I think I'd like to go re-read those and see how much was because I was 11, and how much was because the books were that good.

I remember looking up banned books out of curiosity many years ago, and finding them on the banned books list. And while Siddhartha on the list makes no sense; and despite my rather liberal upbringing in this regard- those books... well I thought quietly- that makes sense to me.