The House Without Windows - Classic Text | Alexandria
A remarkable fusion of childhood imagination and literary precocity, "The House Without Windows" emerged in 1927 as an extraordinary novel written by Barbara Newhall Follett when she was merely twelve years old. This enchanting tale of Eepersip, a young girl who abandons civilization for a life of natural freedom in the wilderness, stands as both a testament to prodigious talent and a haunting prefiguration of its author's own mysterious fate.
Published by Alfred A. Knopf after being meticulously typed by the young author on her typewriter (a gift received at age five), the novel garnered significant attention in literary circles of 1920s America. The manuscript's first version, completed when Follett was nine, was tragically lost in a house fire, leading her to rewrite the entire work from memory—an act that perhaps imbued the final version with even more emotional depth and psychological resonance.
The narrative follows Eepersip's progressive abandonment of human society in favor of an intimate communion with nature, moving from the meadows to the mountains and finally to the sea. This trajectory eerily parallels Follett's own life trajectory; like her protagonist, she would later vanish without a trace in December 1939, leaving behind only speculation about her fate. The novel's themes of escape, natural freedom, and rejection of conventional society have gained renewed relevance in contemporary discussions about environmental consciousness and individual autonomy.
Critical reception at the time of publication was remarkably positive, with reviewers marveling at the sophistication of Follett's prose and the depth of her nature observations. The work has experienced a revival of interest in recent years, particularly following the 2018 reissue by Knopf, which introduced new generations to both the enchanting narrative and the enigmatic story of its author. The novel continues to resonate with readers, serving as both a remarkable literary achievement and a poignant reminder of its author's unexplained disappearance, making it impossible to separate the work from the fascinating mystery of Barbara Newhall Follett herself.