I think I’ve become slightly obsessed with Shirley Jackson. She just has this uncanny way of painting you a picture of something so mundane and recognisable and then twisting it on its head.

She is at her best when she really delves into the psychology of her characters - influenced and oppressed by society, domesticity and gender - and shows us the consequences of the restrictions we put upon ourselves and others (particularly on women - her female characters are always more intriguing than her male characters).

The only fault I really have with the collection is that Jackson sometimes has a tendency to leave a bit too much to the reader’s imagination at the end of the story, to the point where the ending seems abrupt and flat rather than open and intriguing. But this is only the case in a few of the stories.

My personal highlights were:

1. “The Possibility of Evil”: A story I knew already (from an excellent analysis by YouTuber Books ‘n’ Cats) but still thoroughly enjoyed its clever managing of set-up vs twist (and working so well because on a re-read, the twist makes sense)
2. “Louisa, Please Come Home”: Heartbreaking in the most unexpected way. I’ve made another post in the forum dedicated to my feelings about this one.
3. “The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith”: I can’t say too much about this one without spoilers (another forum post will for sure be written!!) but the way it deals with the ‘traditional’ (huge quotation marks) role of women in relationships and society in general, and how others see and behave towards these women, is just incredibly well-written. Disturbing in such a completely different way that has left me thinking about it for days.

Honourable mentions:

• “The Story We Used to Tell” and “The Visit” both had a deliciously gothic quality to them, more in the vein of The Haunting of Hill House than most of the other stories. They felt less unnerving and more like classic ghost stories.
• “All She Said Was Yes”: I’m rewatching Twin Peaks and something about this story made me think of the show. There’s a neatness to the set-up of the ignorant, self-righteous narrator and the traumatised teenage girl that is outside of the society established around her.

All in all, very much a collection I would recommend to any lover of the unnerving and uncanny!