The first time I read this was during a Shirley Jackson binge I went on in 2004/2005. I liked the book then, but reading it again more than a decade later, I appreciate it even more. 
 A couple of months ago I attended a piano performance by a pianist who played so skillfully that he made very complex pieces seem not only effortless but a joy to play. Reading this novel, I felt like I did while watching this pianist play. Jackson weaves the story of Merricat and Constance and their interactions with the world with subtlety and grace. I love the way she's able to turn something simple and innocuous or even at first quaint and delightful into something dark and bottomless. It's like going over the first hill on a roller coaster I didn't know I was on. Except that I wouldn't like that if it really were a roller coaster and not just a simile.