Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Summary:
A young couple who move into a Manhattan apartment are approached by their elderly neighbors, who want to be their friends.

My take: 4 looks
Can you believe the short summary of this ground-breaking novel? Perhaps the editors feel that it's so iconic that no summary is needed. Perhaps that is the case.

This book was published in 1967 and open the floodgates to authors writing about the occult and demons. Until then, the supernatural in most mainstream books were monsters. It had not yet reached the bestseller list when the movie was released one year later, in 1968.

Directed by Roman Polanski, the movie is very true to the book. As a matter of fact, Polanski had Levin write the screenplay. In one scene, where the male lead is looking at a New Yorker magazine, Polanski had trouble finding the exact magazine, and dialed Levin for help.

The book is fast-paced and entertaining. It is well written and drew me in immediately. This is a scary book at its best: full of rich characters, flawed heroines, and evil grandmas, and a bit of a twist ending.

Highly recommended.