Explorations Read-Aloud: “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James

Every Friday, at 11:00 am, on the library’s YouTube Channel and Facebook Page, the library will stream a brand new recording of local thespian, Joseph Coté reading aloud selections from a wide variety of fascinating and entertaining books of fiction and non-fiction.

For June 12, Coté will read aloud from Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw.

Enter the chilling depths of a gothic masterpiece that lingers in the shadows of the unknown.

In The Turn of the Screw, Henry James masterfully weaves a tale of psychological tension, spectral suggestion, and a mind caught between reason and terror.

When a young governess takes charge of two orphaned children at the sprawling and secluded Bly Manor, she is at first enchanted by their innocence and charm. But her sense of calm is soon disturbed by unsettling encounters and eerie figures that seem to haunt the estate. 

As her resolve to protect the children deepens, the line between reality and delusion begins to blur.

Are the apparitions she perceives genuine intrusions from beyond the grave — or manifestations of fear, repression, and obsession? As certainty dissolves into doubt, both the governess and the reader are drawn into a state of mounting unease, where every perception becomes suspect.

With its haunting atmosphere, unsettling ambiguity, and gothic allure, The Turn of the Screw remains one of the most enduring and disturbing works of psychological suspense ever written — a story that refuses easy answers and lingers long after the final page.

Click the links to find the library’s YouTube Channel and Facebook Page.

Thoughts to share? Book ideas to suggest?
Contact Joseph at friday-explorations@usa.net