Some of the stories feel like true slice of life tales while others are quite disconcerting. Jackson suffered from both mental illness as well as feeling like an outcast in society, and she manages to translate her life into her fiction quite flawlessly. The stories are good and well written with lots of disturbing elements. Then again those that read my blog know that I’m so over “genre” labels. However, “The Lottery” stands out from the other stories in this collection which I wouldn’t call “horror” in the true sense of the word.
It’s interesting to think about how much controversy Jackson raised over the publication of this story, which might be considered fairly tame compared with today’s fiction. The horrible ending is foreshadowed very early, so it is worth going back for a reread to pick up all those subtle clues. Jackson crafts this story extremely well. I think it goes without saying that this story was such a huge influence on various tales of dystopian fiction. Also, it was my first experience as a youngster with the classic “twist” ending which I have grown to love as an adult. It fits my definition of a true horror story in that it demonstrates the cruelty of human beings. Let’s start with the title story, which actually doesn’t turn up until the end. While I was expecting the remaining stories to be of that same vein, I was surprised to learn that they were very different. It was so deliciously creepy and twisted. I would name “The Lottery” as my all-time favorite short story in high school. Since reviewing We Have Always Lived in the Castle, I have been wanting to read more of her work.
While on vacation, I decided to take with me this collection of short stories by the incomparable Shirley Jackson.
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