The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Recommended for ages 14-adult.

When people ask me what my favourite book is, this one always springs to mind. Nothing beats The Yellow Wallpaper for it gripping narrative, its fearsome character development, and its rich symbolism. And, of course, an ending which will haunt you long after you put it down.

Written prior to 1892, this story was considered a horror story by some readers of the day. It's not, but that's how Victorian readers always felt about books which portrayed women stepping outside their place in society. But even that's not what the story is really about. At the most basic level it tells the story of a woman's mental decline after the birth of her first child and her husband's decision to move the family to an isolated house in the country. As you get into the story, however, you start to see between the layers of the infamous wallpaper and recognise that this book is making all sorts of comments on women's rights, the relationship between men and women, and the care of patients with depression. Every time I read it, I get a new perspective on it. And it still chills me every time I turn the final page.

The version of the story I read came with a few other short stories by Gilman, each quaint but definitively didactic, almost pushy about women's rights. None came close to the mastery of The Yellow Wallpaper. Perhaps because of the very personal nature of this story to Gilman.

Although only a short book, 21 pages, The Yellow Wallpaper has a similar level of complexity as Jane Eyre or Northanger Abbey. But in terms of readability for a modern audience, it is poles apart.

If you love short stories, gothic fiction, psychological thrillers or Victorian literature, you will love this.