Always having been a bookworm, especially an avid reader of mysteries and horror Edgar Allen Poe has always been one of my personal all time favourites..not to mention that I was literally leaping with joy at having come upon this book in a shop(a ’’raddiwala’’ to be precise)
This story is a 1st person account of what the raconteur encounters when he visits his childhood friend Roderick Usher at his ancestral mansion aptly known as ’’House of Usher’’On his arrival at the mansion which looks rather eerie and scary rather thank homely he is taken to his friend!!
Roderick Usher:A descendent of a very respected noble family he seems to be suffering from a dreadful mental illness bordering on hysteria.Frequently plagued by nervousness and anxiety attacks he seems to be dreading something inexplicable and evil that lurks around the house(who can blame him, staying in that ’’bhoot bangla’’:)Another reason for his mental condition is the worry about his sister Madeline’s mysterious illness.
Madeline Usher:Roderick’s sister who is suffering from a sickness no doctor is able to diagnose..hence no suitable cure and medicines.She seemed to be unaware of her condition and seemed rather weird to the friend..in the author’s words ’’seemed to float about’’
The visiting friend himself fears her to his own surprise without knowing the reason.After a few days Madeline’s dead.The doctors want her for further examinations for getting a clear picture of her weird illness..so to preserve the corpse till the formal burial both of them keep her in the house’s iron vault..What happens next in the climax is not to be revealed but should be read by every reader themselves ..trust me u won’t be disappointed!!
As always Edgar Allen Poe surpasses himself, the plot is quite gripping and the book is surely worth a read..can’t say the same about my review though:)!!