Is this a touch on Jackson's original? No. Her work remains a pioneer of the genre and one of the finest of its kind. Interestingly enough, Alison Rumfitt's "Tell Me I'm Worthless" does a more successful job on using Jackson's original as a jumping off point, however, despite coming into this with many misgivings (though keeping an open mind) I greatly enjoyed Hand's novel and will certainly be reading more from her.

It's important to think of this as Hand's own work. This is not a sequel. It builds on from the original. The novel itself comments on what is effectively Hand's act of literary ventriloquism. In fact, it can be read as commentary on this phenomenon as a whole and, to be fair, Hand's is by far the most successful of these posthumous sequels I have read. Hand has done very well here and I encourage you to read this book as two things at once, her own, her own incarnation of Hill House (Hand's entity is very different from Jackson's, I would argue) and as something working from Jackson. You will enjoy it the most in that way and find it more rewarding too. Also, for what it's worth, this is a much snappier novel which, depending on your preference you may even prefer.