The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Hill, Susan. The Woman in Black. David R. Godine, 2018.

Hill’s novel is divided into 12 chapters, the majority which take place over the course of one week, with the exception of the first chapter which gives us a glimpse into Arthur’s life many years later. When we first meet Arthur, he is a middle-aged man and partner at a law firm. When the real story begins, Arthur is still a young man, working as a solicitor.

The first chapter of The Woman in Black describes the warm, cheerful atmosphere in Arthur’s house on Christmas Eve. His wife, Esmé, and her many children gather around to tell ghost stories, making Arthur feel uneasy. He realizes that it is time he told his own ghost story and decides to write it down.

The rest of the novel describe what Arthur has chosen to record regarding his time spent at Crythin Gifford and Eel Marsh House. His boss, Mr Bentley, sends him there on account of some business relating to the death of Alice Drablow. Alice Drablow was the widow who lived all alone in the supposedly haunted Eel Marsh House, a place where none of the town’s inhabitants dare approach. Arthur is to go to her house and sort through her documents, bringing anything of interest back to London. Arthur does not believe in ghosts and ignores the town’s gossip. At Alice Drablow’s funeral, he spots a woman dressed all in black. He sees her again at Eel Marsh House, stooping over a grave in the Drablow family plot.

Arthur has several more eerie encounters at the house. One evening, while out in the marshes, he hears the sound of a pony trap, followed by the sound of a horse in distress and a child crying out. Then, one night, he hears a dull thudding noise emanating from the nursery. A rocking chair rocks, even though no one can be seen sitting in it. Lastly, Arthur sees the woman in black herself staring down at him from the nursery window. Arthur is forced to acknowledge that the house is truly haunted and retreats the home of Samuel Daily, a wealthy man who offers him his assistance.

The mystery surrounding Eel Marsh House becomes clear in the final section of the novel. The woman in black is really the ghost of Jennet Humfrye, Alice Drablow’s sister. Jennet had a baby out of wedlock and was sent away to Scotland. Jennet was forced to give up her son, Nathanial, to Alice’s care. Jennet felt a strong bond to her child and moved to be near him. The two became very close. Jennet planned on kidnapping Nathaniel but before she could do so, he died. The boy died alongside his nurse while out in the marshes. A thick fog enveloped the pony trap they were in, and they ended up drowning. Since then, the ghost of Jennet Humfrye haunts the town. Any sighting of her results in the death of a child.

Arthur leaves Crythin Gifford and never returns. He gets married to a woman named Stella and they have a baby boy together. One day, while Arthur’s family are at a fair, the woman in black reappears. Stella and the boy are riding in a pony trap. It is one of the attractions at the fair. The woman in black frightens the horse, sending the passengers flying out of the carriage. Stella and the boy die.