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Dark Tales
For the first time in one volume, a collection of Shirley Jackson's scariest stories, with a foreword by PEN/Hemingway Award winner Ottessa Moshfegh
After the publication of her short story "The Lottery" in the New Yorker in 1948 received an unprecedented amount of attention, Shirley Jackson was quickly established as a master horror storyteller. This collection of classic and newly reprinted stories provides readers with more of her unsettling, dark tales, including the "The Possibility of Evil" and "The Summer People." In these deliciously dark stories, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek, the loving wife hides homicidal thoughts and the concerned citizen might just be an infamous serial killer. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe, from the city streets to the crumbling country pile, and from the small-town apartment to the dark, dark woods. There's something sinister in suburbia.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
After the publication of her short story "The Lottery" in the New Yorker in 1948 received an unprecedented amount of attention, Shirley Jackson was quickly established as a master horror storyteller. This collection of classic and newly reprinted stories provides readers with more of her unsettling, dark tales, including the "The Possibility of Evil" and "The Summer People." In these deliciously dark stories, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek, the loving wife hides homicidal thoughts and the concerned citizen might just be an infamous serial killer. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe, from the city streets to the crumbling country pile, and from the small-town apartment to the dark, dark woods. There's something sinister in suburbia.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2016
About the author
Shirley Jackson
295 books9,323 followersShirley Jackson was an influential American author. A popular writer in her time, her work has received increasing attention from literary critics in recent years. She has influenced such writers as Stephen King, Nigel Kneale, and Richard Matheson.
She is best known for her dystopian short story, "The Lottery" (1948), which suggests there is a deeply unsettling underside to bucolic, smalltown America. In her critical biography of Shirley Jackson, Lenemaja Friedman notes that when Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" was published in the June 28, 1948, issue of The New Yorker, it received a response that "no New Yorker story had ever received." Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by, as Jackson put it, "bewilderment, speculation and old-fashioned abuse."
Jackson's husband, the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, wrote in his preface to a posthumous anthology of her work that "she consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands and be the pundit of the Sunday supplements. She believed that her books would speak for her clearly enough over the years." Hyman insisted the darker aspects of Jackson's works were not, as some critics claimed, the product of "personal, even neurotic, fantasies", but that Jackson intended, as "a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the Bomb", to mirror humanity's Cold War-era fears. Jackson may even have taken pleasure in the subversive impact of her work, as revealed by Hyman's statement that she "was always proud that the Union of South Africa banned The Lottery', and she felt that they at least understood the story".
In 1965, Jackson died of heart failure in her sleep, at her home in North Bennington Vermont, at the age of 48.
She is best known for her dystopian short story, "The Lottery" (1948), which suggests there is a deeply unsettling underside to bucolic, smalltown America. In her critical biography of Shirley Jackson, Lenemaja Friedman notes that when Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" was published in the June 28, 1948, issue of The New Yorker, it received a response that "no New Yorker story had ever received." Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by, as Jackson put it, "bewilderment, speculation and old-fashioned abuse."
Jackson's husband, the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, wrote in his preface to a posthumous anthology of her work that "she consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands and be the pundit of the Sunday supplements. She believed that her books would speak for her clearly enough over the years." Hyman insisted the darker aspects of Jackson's works were not, as some critics claimed, the product of "personal, even neurotic, fantasies", but that Jackson intended, as "a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the Bomb", to mirror humanity's Cold War-era fears. Jackson may even have taken pleasure in the subversive impact of her work, as revealed by Hyman's statement that she "was always proud that the Union of South Africa banned The Lottery', and she felt that they at least understood the story".
In 1965, Jackson died of heart failure in her sleep, at her home in North Bennington Vermont, at the age of 48.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 970 reviews
March 3, 2023
beginning the year as i mean to go on (spookily)
this was not my favorite shirley jackson, but it was still good shirley jackson. and also any shirley jackson is still shirley jackson.
you know?
bottom line: i fear who i will become when i have no more shirley to read.
--------------------
tbr review
tales to match my soul 😈
this was not my favorite shirley jackson, but it was still good shirley jackson. and also any shirley jackson is still shirley jackson.
you know?
bottom line: i fear who i will become when i have no more shirley to read.
--------------------
tbr review
tales to match my soul 😈
April 13, 2024
‘Don’t be hypnotized by the sanctity of the superficial rhythm of humdrum life, Jackson warns, for under the surface of things, people change, sometimes irrevocably, and yet they may appear unaltered.’
Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson is a captivating collection of short stories that delve into the eerie and unsettling aspects of human nature. Jackson's writing style is both haunting and thought provoking, drawing readers into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and the mundane is tinged with a sense of dread.
With each turn of the page, the sense of unease mounts, leaving readers on edge until the very end. And just when you think you have it all figured out, Jackson delivers a twist that leaves you reeling.
From the macabre to the mysterious, Jackson's exploration of the darker side of life will leave you pondering long after you've finished reading. If you enjoy tales that blur the line between reality and the supernatural, Dark Tales is a must read.
I Highly Recommend.
4.5⭐
Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson is a captivating collection of short stories that delve into the eerie and unsettling aspects of human nature. Jackson's writing style is both haunting and thought provoking, drawing readers into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and the mundane is tinged with a sense of dread.
With each turn of the page, the sense of unease mounts, leaving readers on edge until the very end. And just when you think you have it all figured out, Jackson delivers a twist that leaves you reeling.
From the macabre to the mysterious, Jackson's exploration of the darker side of life will leave you pondering long after you've finished reading. If you enjoy tales that blur the line between reality and the supernatural, Dark Tales is a must read.
I Highly Recommend.
4.5⭐
December 14, 2016
This is a superb collection of 17 dark tales by the masterful writer, Shirley Jackson. They are designed to inspire unease and to unsettle. They are wide ranging in subject matter and each is a worthy read. The author has a gifted writing style that transports the reader to surprising and unexpected places. I particularly enjoyed The Good Wife, Paranoia and The Beautiful Stranger. There were occasions I wanted a little more depth and length to a story. A perfect collection for those who enjoy the gothic, an air of menace, spookiness and darkness. Wonderful. Thanks to Penguin for an ARC.
December 8, 2022
2022 update - need to refresh my ratings on these stories as I enjoyed them a lot more (for the most part) the second time around!
---
This is a really generous collection of short stories. There are 17 in this book in total, with the longest being only 24 pages (which feels like loads after reading 10 page stories practically all the way through)!
The Possibility of Evil - 3 stars
I wasn’t all that interested in this short until right at the very end. The last line was fantastically horrible.
Louisa, Please Come Home - 3 stars
Hm. This one was good but not great. It was sad, more than anything.
Paranoia - 5 stars
This story was great! It gripped me right from the start and had my heart pounding as Mr Beresford was rushing to get home and away from “light hat”. Fantastically creepy ending too.
The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 2 stars
I liked the prose and everything but I didn’t get it? Probably me just being stupid but… yeah.
The Story We Used to Tell - 3 stars
There was certainly an eeriness about this story but I didn’t like how it took on a sort of paranormal turn, when the rest of the stories have been based on human nature.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 2 stars
This one was just really dull in comparison to the other ones.
Jack the Ripper - 4 stars
I liked this one because it was creepy and kind of left you to your own imagination. I love any kind of story that focuses on the Ripper because everyone makes him their own.
The Beautiful Stranger - 3 stars
If you can’t already tell from my previous mini reviews, I prefer the creepy stories, and this wasn’t that, but it was still an interesting story, just not my favourite.
All She Said Was Yes - 4 stars
I liked this story because it was a little bit different and the ending has you going “No! No! Don’t do it!”. I like it when a book conjures up that emotion from you.
What a Thought - 4 stars
Hasn’t just about everyone had a murderous thoughts before? This was a good story because I could relate to some of it. (That all sounds so bad, don’t worry, I’m not planning on ever killing anyone).
The Bus - 4 stars
I really liked this one! It got super creepy when she arrived at the old house and I loved the twist ending!
Family Treasures - 3 stars
I enjoyed this one all the way up to then end. Girls are so terribly bitchy, Jackson got the atmosphere in the house perfectly right!
A Visit - 3 stars
I liked how the mystery built in this story but I didn’t particularly like how to story ended. I also felt that the timings were a little all over the place, which confused me at some parts.
The Good Wife - 3 stars
I didn’t mind this story but it was very predictable. I was hoping the end wouldn’t be what I was expecting it to be, but alas.
The Man in the Woods - 4 stars
This story had a bit of a fairy tale feel to it, which made it a lot more enjoyable for me.
Home - 4 stars
OK, so I know I said earlier in this review that I didn’t like one of the stories taking on a paranormal element, but I liked it in this one! I kind of reminded me of Beetlejuice because of the bridge lol.
The Summer People - 4 stars
Eep, this one was creepy! I liked the whole creepy local community vibe it had to it and how the Allison’s were no longer welcome… Very good end to this collection of shorts.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
---
This is a really generous collection of short stories. There are 17 in this book in total, with the longest being only 24 pages (which feels like loads after reading 10 page stories practically all the way through)!
The Possibility of Evil - 3 stars
I wasn’t all that interested in this short until right at the very end. The last line was fantastically horrible.
Louisa, Please Come Home - 3 stars
Hm. This one was good but not great. It was sad, more than anything.
Paranoia - 5 stars
This story was great! It gripped me right from the start and had my heart pounding as Mr Beresford was rushing to get home and away from “light hat”. Fantastically creepy ending too.
The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 2 stars
I liked the prose and everything but I didn’t get it? Probably me just being stupid but… yeah.
The Story We Used to Tell - 3 stars
There was certainly an eeriness about this story but I didn’t like how it took on a sort of paranormal turn, when the rest of the stories have been based on human nature.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 2 stars
This one was just really dull in comparison to the other ones.
Jack the Ripper - 4 stars
I liked this one because it was creepy and kind of left you to your own imagination. I love any kind of story that focuses on the Ripper because everyone makes him their own.
The Beautiful Stranger - 3 stars
If you can’t already tell from my previous mini reviews, I prefer the creepy stories, and this wasn’t that, but it was still an interesting story, just not my favourite.
All She Said Was Yes - 4 stars
I liked this story because it was a little bit different and the ending has you going “No! No! Don’t do it!”. I like it when a book conjures up that emotion from you.
What a Thought - 4 stars
Hasn’t just about everyone had a murderous thoughts before? This was a good story because I could relate to some of it. (That all sounds so bad, don’t worry, I’m not planning on ever killing anyone).
The Bus - 4 stars
I really liked this one! It got super creepy when she arrived at the old house and I loved the twist ending!
Family Treasures - 3 stars
I enjoyed this one all the way up to then end. Girls are so terribly bitchy, Jackson got the atmosphere in the house perfectly right!
A Visit - 3 stars
I liked how the mystery built in this story but I didn’t particularly like how to story ended. I also felt that the timings were a little all over the place, which confused me at some parts.
The Good Wife - 3 stars
I didn’t mind this story but it was very predictable. I was hoping the end wouldn’t be what I was expecting it to be, but alas.
The Man in the Woods - 4 stars
This story had a bit of a fairy tale feel to it, which made it a lot more enjoyable for me.
Home - 4 stars
OK, so I know I said earlier in this review that I didn’t like one of the stories taking on a paranormal element, but I liked it in this one! I kind of reminded me of Beetlejuice because of the bridge lol.
The Summer People - 4 stars
Eep, this one was creepy! I liked the whole creepy local community vibe it had to it and how the Allison’s were no longer welcome… Very good end to this collection of shorts.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2018
--The Possibility of Evil
--Louisa, Please Come Home
--Paranoia
--The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith
--The Story We Used to Tell
--The Sorcerer's Apprentice
--Jack the Ripper
--The Beautiful Stranger
--All She Said Was Yes
--What a Thought
--The Bus
--Family Treasures
--A Visit
--The Good Wife
--The Man in the Woods
--Home
--The Summer People
--Louisa, Please Come Home
--Paranoia
--The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith
--The Story We Used to Tell
--The Sorcerer's Apprentice
--Jack the Ripper
--The Beautiful Stranger
--All She Said Was Yes
--What a Thought
--The Bus
--Family Treasures
--A Visit
--The Good Wife
--The Man in the Woods
--Home
--The Summer People
November 20, 2022
En proceso...
Colección de cuentos:
1. The Possibility of Evil ⭐⭐⭐: Miss Strangeworth vive en Pleasant Street, su familia fue una de las fundadoras de este idílico pueblo. Su obsesión es proteger al pueblo de la maldad del mundo, aunque lamentablemente algunos de sus vecinos lucen muy desanimados últimamente.
2. Louisa, please come home⭐⭐: Louisa se escapa de casa y comienza una nueva vida. Mientras tanto su familia no deja de buscarla y cada año escucha a su madre en la radio decir: Louisa, por favor, vuelve a casa.
3. Paranoia⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Mr. Halloran Beresford termina su jornada laboral, es el cumpleaños de su esposa y está decidido ha celebrarlo con ella, pero de camino a casa le persigue un hombre con un sombrero y toda la gente a su alrededor comienza a actuar de manera extraña.
4. La luna de miel de la Señora Smith ⭐: un matrimonio de recién casados, llegan a vivir a un pueblo y todo el mundo tiene algo que decir a la señora Smith.
5. La historia que solíamos contar⭐⭐⭐⭐: cuando Y desaparece su amiga averiguará qué en la pared de su habitación hay un cuadro encantado.
6. Aprendiz de brujo⭐: la señorita Matt está en su casa escuchando un disco, cuando aparece Kishna una niña vecina, del piso de abajo y le pide escuchar discos de su papá.
6. Jack el destripador ⭐⭐: un hombre preocupado por una chica que duerme en la calle la ayuda a llegar a casa. O tal vez, tiene una razón oculta para hacerlo.
7. El hermoso desconocido ⭐⭐⭐: una mujer y sus hijos acuden a recibir a su marido después de un viaje de negocios. Poco a poco verá diferencias para acabar dándole cuenta de que su marido en realidad es un desconocido.
8. Todo lo que ella dijo es sí ⭐⭐⭐: es duro tener qué decir a la hija adolescente de tus vecinos, que sus padres han muerto, y llevarla a tu casa para que no esté sola. Sobretodo si ella dice que ya sabía que sus padres morirían y dice cosas horribles qué les van a pasar al resto de las personas.
Colección de cuentos:
1. The Possibility of Evil ⭐⭐⭐: Miss Strangeworth vive en Pleasant Street, su familia fue una de las fundadoras de este idílico pueblo. Su obsesión es proteger al pueblo de la maldad del mundo, aunque lamentablemente algunos de sus vecinos lucen muy desanimados últimamente.
2. Louisa, please come home⭐⭐: Louisa se escapa de casa y comienza una nueva vida. Mientras tanto su familia no deja de buscarla y cada año escucha a su madre en la radio decir: Louisa, por favor, vuelve a casa.
3. Paranoia⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Mr. Halloran Beresford termina su jornada laboral, es el cumpleaños de su esposa y está decidido ha celebrarlo con ella, pero de camino a casa le persigue un hombre con un sombrero y toda la gente a su alrededor comienza a actuar de manera extraña.
4. La luna de miel de la Señora Smith ⭐: un matrimonio de recién casados, llegan a vivir a un pueblo y todo el mundo tiene algo que decir a la señora Smith.
5. La historia que solíamos contar⭐⭐⭐⭐: cuando Y desaparece su amiga averiguará qué en la pared de su habitación hay un cuadro encantado.
6. Aprendiz de brujo⭐: la señorita Matt está en su casa escuchando un disco, cuando aparece Kishna una niña vecina, del piso de abajo y le pide escuchar discos de su papá.
6. Jack el destripador ⭐⭐: un hombre preocupado por una chica que duerme en la calle la ayuda a llegar a casa. O tal vez, tiene una razón oculta para hacerlo.
7. El hermoso desconocido ⭐⭐⭐: una mujer y sus hijos acuden a recibir a su marido después de un viaje de negocios. Poco a poco verá diferencias para acabar dándole cuenta de que su marido en realidad es un desconocido.
8. Todo lo que ella dijo es sí ⭐⭐⭐: es duro tener qué decir a la hija adolescente de tus vecinos, que sus padres han muerto, y llevarla a tu casa para que no esté sola. Sobretodo si ella dice que ya sabía que sus padres morirían y dice cosas horribles qué les van a pasar al resto de las personas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2021
“An odd thought crossed her mind: she would pick up the heavy glass ashtray and smash her husband over the head with it.”
I’ve noticed recently that I’m constantly handing out 3/3.5 star reviews for short story collections, but I truly feel like this is representative of the majority of such collections – you get some fantastic stories, a number of moderately entertaining ones and then a couple of duds. Off the top of my head, the only collections I can think of wherein I would rate practically every story highly would be The October Country by Ray Bradbury, Salt Slow by Julia Armfield and Night Shift by Stephen King. These gems are hard to find!
In Dark Tales, Jackson really taps into realistic psychological horror. Many of the stories start out relatively mundane, following the protagonist in their everyday life, before Jackson injects a sinister aspect. The majority of stories revolve around female characters, many of whom have quite dark un-ladylike thoughts.
Standouts for me were the following:
Home – a woman comes across an old woman and a young boy in the pouring rain close to her new home. This was CREEPY AF. Loved!
The Summer People – a couple who normally spend their summers up at their lake house decide to extend their stay into the fall… and weirdness ensues.
Jack the Ripper – a nice little twisty tale wherein a kind passer-by saves a drunk girl sleeping on the street and brings her home.
What A Thought – a wife’s thoughts as she has the random urge to kill her husband – we’ve all been there.
The quality or entertainment-factor of the stories themselves may have varied over the course of the collection, but Jackson’s exemplary writing was consistent. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to people who enjoy quiet slices of suburban life with a little darkness thrown in!
3.5 stars.
I’ve noticed recently that I’m constantly handing out 3/3.5 star reviews for short story collections, but I truly feel like this is representative of the majority of such collections – you get some fantastic stories, a number of moderately entertaining ones and then a couple of duds. Off the top of my head, the only collections I can think of wherein I would rate practically every story highly would be The October Country by Ray Bradbury, Salt Slow by Julia Armfield and Night Shift by Stephen King. These gems are hard to find!
In Dark Tales, Jackson really taps into realistic psychological horror. Many of the stories start out relatively mundane, following the protagonist in their everyday life, before Jackson injects a sinister aspect. The majority of stories revolve around female characters, many of whom have quite dark un-ladylike thoughts.
Standouts for me were the following:
Home – a woman comes across an old woman and a young boy in the pouring rain close to her new home. This was CREEPY AF. Loved!
The Summer People – a couple who normally spend their summers up at their lake house decide to extend their stay into the fall… and weirdness ensues.
Jack the Ripper – a nice little twisty tale wherein a kind passer-by saves a drunk girl sleeping on the street and brings her home.
What A Thought – a wife’s thoughts as she has the random urge to kill her husband – we’ve all been there.
The quality or entertainment-factor of the stories themselves may have varied over the course of the collection, but Jackson’s exemplary writing was consistent. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to people who enjoy quiet slices of suburban life with a little darkness thrown in!
3.5 stars.
March 7, 2017
DNF'd at 41%
This is one of the few books I have ever failed to finish but, dear God, this was so dull! I have heard that this is probably prolific horror writer, Shirley Jackson's, least popular work and I can see why.
The stories focused on mundane suburbia, which heightened the sinister vibes that haunted each tale. Unfortunately, for me, these stories felt dull and bland. The twists that occurred were interesting and unprecedented, in a handful of them, but never enough to redeem the entire story. I would rather read one of Jackson's better received anthologies rather than struggle through this one and end up writing-off this author completely.
I managed to read half of the stories in the collection and only one was of any interest to me. A breakdown of my thoughts on the few I read are listed below:
The Possibility of Evil - 2/5 stars
The first few pages of this read quite drily but the sly twist regarding the main character made this a deceptively wicked little tale! It dealt with such trivial matters but that is where the absurdity of this shone. The ending, however, made the whole piece seem pointless and not properly concluded.
Louisa, Please Come Home - 1/5 stars
This focuses on the narrative of a runaway and should have been poignant but, instead, was rather boring. Like the first tale, this had an interesting twist but the lack of an ending just made this seem incomplete. The protagonist was petulant and unlikeable and, without proper reasoning given for her disappearance, it was hard to feel any empathy towards her. This read less like a cohesive story and more like an in-depth character study.
Paranoia - 4/5 stars
The character’s growing sense of unease is mirrored by the reader as the story wears on. Despite the lack of anything sinister actually occurring, this had a permeating eerie feel to it. The cliffhanger ending, that left the preceding stories feeling incomplete, added to the tension of this piece.
The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 3/5 stars
This is an intriguing story, where the reader is kept in the dark about the protagonist’s secrets. The suspense grows and it feels almost illicit to learn the truth. I wouldn’t have gathered that this was a Bluebeard retelling just from reading it, but now I know that fact it makes the piece make much more sense. I still found this a boring read, but it gets a bonus star as I am absolute trash for retellings.
The Story We Used to Tell - 3/5 stars
This had the haunting vibes I was longing for, from this collection, and the ending redoubled the spooky aura. This wasn’t exactly an original story, but was an enjoyable, if forgettable, one.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 1/5 stars
I’m starting to think I am missing something about Jackson’s writing as this was another dull and pointless story. The story was just started to get interesting but seemed to stop half way through the telling of it. Again!
Jack the Ripper - 2/5 stars
This was the story I was most excited for, based solely on the title. The twist part-way through was unprecedented and, despite not actually scary, had a sinister vibe. Again, like every story in this collection, there was no conclusion and the story stops just as it is getting interesting.
The Beautiful Stranger - 2/5 stars
This story differed from the others, in that the story was dull but the ending interesting, rather than the other way around. One sentence wasn’t enough to redeem it, however.
This is one of the few books I have ever failed to finish but, dear God, this was so dull! I have heard that this is probably prolific horror writer, Shirley Jackson's, least popular work and I can see why.
The stories focused on mundane suburbia, which heightened the sinister vibes that haunted each tale. Unfortunately, for me, these stories felt dull and bland. The twists that occurred were interesting and unprecedented, in a handful of them, but never enough to redeem the entire story. I would rather read one of Jackson's better received anthologies rather than struggle through this one and end up writing-off this author completely.
I managed to read half of the stories in the collection and only one was of any interest to me. A breakdown of my thoughts on the few I read are listed below:
The Possibility of Evil - 2/5 stars
The first few pages of this read quite drily but the sly twist regarding the main character made this a deceptively wicked little tale! It dealt with such trivial matters but that is where the absurdity of this shone. The ending, however, made the whole piece seem pointless and not properly concluded.
Louisa, Please Come Home - 1/5 stars
This focuses on the narrative of a runaway and should have been poignant but, instead, was rather boring. Like the first tale, this had an interesting twist but the lack of an ending just made this seem incomplete. The protagonist was petulant and unlikeable and, without proper reasoning given for her disappearance, it was hard to feel any empathy towards her. This read less like a cohesive story and more like an in-depth character study.
Paranoia - 4/5 stars
The character’s growing sense of unease is mirrored by the reader as the story wears on. Despite the lack of anything sinister actually occurring, this had a permeating eerie feel to it. The cliffhanger ending, that left the preceding stories feeling incomplete, added to the tension of this piece.
The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 3/5 stars
This is an intriguing story, where the reader is kept in the dark about the protagonist’s secrets. The suspense grows and it feels almost illicit to learn the truth. I wouldn’t have gathered that this was a Bluebeard retelling just from reading it, but now I know that fact it makes the piece make much more sense. I still found this a boring read, but it gets a bonus star as I am absolute trash for retellings.
The Story We Used to Tell - 3/5 stars
This had the haunting vibes I was longing for, from this collection, and the ending redoubled the spooky aura. This wasn’t exactly an original story, but was an enjoyable, if forgettable, one.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 1/5 stars
I’m starting to think I am missing something about Jackson’s writing as this was another dull and pointless story. The story was just started to get interesting but seemed to stop half way through the telling of it. Again!
Jack the Ripper - 2/5 stars
This was the story I was most excited for, based solely on the title. The twist part-way through was unprecedented and, despite not actually scary, had a sinister vibe. Again, like every story in this collection, there was no conclusion and the story stops just as it is getting interesting.
The Beautiful Stranger - 2/5 stars
This story differed from the others, in that the story was dull but the ending interesting, rather than the other way around. One sentence wasn’t enough to redeem it, however.
September 28, 2021
I just like how the writing just flows and flows. And how the characters are quite dark as opposed to what everyone believed them to be.
"It's funny how no one pays attention to you at all."
A collection of seventeen short stories which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
Horror. Premonitions. Evil characters behind innocent faces.
Love it!
This is my first read from the author. I am impressed. The characters are unbelievably calm and dangerous.
My most favourites in this collection are Louisa Please Come Home, The Story We Used to Tell, The Beautiful Stranger, All She Said Was Yes, What a Thought, The Bus, Family Treasures, The Good Wife, Home.
Twisted characters alert, I guarantee you this is a fun read.
This collection reminds me of Roald Dahl's twisted stories. But in a good different vibe.
Definitely recommending it. The beginners can go for it as well.
"It's funny how no one pays attention to you at all."
A collection of seventeen short stories which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
Horror. Premonitions. Evil characters behind innocent faces.
Love it!
This is my first read from the author. I am impressed. The characters are unbelievably calm and dangerous.
My most favourites in this collection are Louisa Please Come Home, The Story We Used to Tell, The Beautiful Stranger, All She Said Was Yes, What a Thought, The Bus, Family Treasures, The Good Wife, Home.
Twisted characters alert, I guarantee you this is a fun read.
This collection reminds me of Roald Dahl's twisted stories. But in a good different vibe.
Definitely recommending it. The beginners can go for it as well.
August 28, 2023
I was delighted recently to see Sophie White's viscerally powerful and disturbing Where I End win, jointly, the Shirley Jackson Award for novels for 'outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic'.
But it also struck me that I've read relatively little of Jackson's work even though it has, often explicitly, influenced many other works I've read - so I was delighted to pick this up in Burley & Fisher's impressive second hand book collection.
In a simplistic sense, I was at one point slightly disappointed. The Jackson stories I have read are her most iconic, such as The Lottery, and I've also read many of those influenced by her before I came to her work, so some of it seemed less original than it actually, originally, was.
But as I read on - and as I addressed my own unrealistic expectations - it became clear what a master of the craft Jackson was. Particular highlights for me were:
- the ominous Summer People ("Never been summer people before at the lake after Labor day")
- the enigmatic The Man In the Woods;
- the darkly funny All She Said Was Yes where the reader can see what the narrator is missing (the line "She was delayed getting here - some trouble with the plane - ..." was my highlight of the collection); and
- the cleverly constructed The Visit where by contrast it's the reader who is duped, some of the story's secrets hidden in plain sight on a second read, although there is still much more to unpack.
Impressive.
But it also struck me that I've read relatively little of Jackson's work even though it has, often explicitly, influenced many other works I've read - so I was delighted to pick this up in Burley & Fisher's impressive second hand book collection.
In a simplistic sense, I was at one point slightly disappointed. The Jackson stories I have read are her most iconic, such as The Lottery, and I've also read many of those influenced by her before I came to her work, so some of it seemed less original than it actually, originally, was.
But as I read on - and as I addressed my own unrealistic expectations - it became clear what a master of the craft Jackson was. Particular highlights for me were:
- the ominous Summer People ("Never been summer people before at the lake after Labor day")
- the enigmatic The Man In the Woods;
- the darkly funny All She Said Was Yes where the reader can see what the narrator is missing (the line "She was delayed getting here - some trouble with the plane - ..." was my highlight of the collection); and
- the cleverly constructed The Visit where by contrast it's the reader who is duped, some of the story's secrets hidden in plain sight on a second read, although there is still much more to unpack.
Impressive.
Read
October 2, 2016Shirley Jackson needs no reviews from me: she is simply the best and most nuanced storyteller of unease and suburban discomfort of her generation. So many great writers reflect her influence. Without her, Iain Banks' WASP FACTORY would have been very different; Stephen King's GUNSLINGER books would have lost much of their inspiration and Chris Fowler's short fiction would have been greatly impoverished. All I can say if you haven't read her, is: I envy you a little. You still have this to come.
March 15, 2017
'She knew that if she asked her husband to take her to a movie, or out for a ride, or to play gin rummy, he would smile at her and agree; he was always willing to do things to please her, still, after ten years of marriage. An odd thought crossed her mind: she would pick up the heavy glass ashtray and smash her husband over the head with it.'
For me, this short story collection proofed once and for all that Shirley Jackson is the true queen of creating creeping unease and the suburban gothic. All of her stories have a habit of literally creeping up on you and leaving you slightly unsettled in a weirdly satisfying way.
I didn't feel like there was a single bad story in this collection, but a few stood out to me especially and have left me thinking about them even a couple of weeks after I've read them: The Possibility of Evil; Louisa, Please Come Home; The Beautiful Stranger; All She Said Was Yes and The Good Wife.
For me, this short story collection proofed once and for all that Shirley Jackson is the true queen of creating creeping unease and the suburban gothic. All of her stories have a habit of literally creeping up on you and leaving you slightly unsettled in a weirdly satisfying way.
I didn't feel like there was a single bad story in this collection, but a few stood out to me especially and have left me thinking about them even a couple of weeks after I've read them: The Possibility of Evil; Louisa, Please Come Home; The Beautiful Stranger; All She Said Was Yes and The Good Wife.
January 10, 2017
Dark Tales is an anthology of Shirley Jackson’s stories made up of previous collections Come Along With Me, Just An Ordinary Day and Let Me Tell You - there’s no new material here. And, let me tell you, it’s also by far the weakest fiction of Jackson’s I’ve read!
I’m a big Shirley Jackson fan. I love The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Lottery and Other Stories, and have re-read each book at least twice, but the stories in Dark Tales are all pretty bad.
Jackson’s style is very lo-fi for the most part, slowly introducing eerie, creepy elements and finishing strongly with a powerful scene. Her most famous story, The Lottery, is the perfect example of that though numerous stories, mostly collected in The Lottery and Other Stories, have knockout twist endings and an unsettling tone of dread throughout that builds to a horrific climax.
The stories in Dark Tales start off similarly, focusing on the mundane everyday - and go nowhere. They just end as boringly as they began. Like in The Possibility of Evil, the character potters about her home and town, doing grocery shopping or cooking or writing letters, someone will do or seem a bit off, and then the story’s over. Louisa, Please Come Home sees a teenager run away from home and be forgotten by her family. Zzz…
The more overtly supernatural stories are only slightly less dull and seem like corny Twilight Zone knockoffs. Like in The Bus where a stranded woman gets a lift to a familiar house that turns out to be her childhood home and she can’t escape it. The story Home features a pair of ghosts who like to sit in cars. Really??
Like in a lot of Jackson’s stories, the menace of small town America her paranoia made her feel is prevalent like in The Summer People but it’s so much better realised in stories like The Lottery or her novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
I suppose Dark Tales has well-written stories but Shirley Jackson is usually also able to grip and entertain the reader with the content as much as the style, and she fails consistently to do so throughout this collection. Evidently her best material is in her most well-known collection, The Lottery and Other Stories, which I’d recommend over this one. Dark Tales is full of nothing but bottom of the barrel scrapings - even if you’re a Jackson fan, this one’s not worth bothering with.
I’m a big Shirley Jackson fan. I love The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Lottery and Other Stories, and have re-read each book at least twice, but the stories in Dark Tales are all pretty bad.
Jackson’s style is very lo-fi for the most part, slowly introducing eerie, creepy elements and finishing strongly with a powerful scene. Her most famous story, The Lottery, is the perfect example of that though numerous stories, mostly collected in The Lottery and Other Stories, have knockout twist endings and an unsettling tone of dread throughout that builds to a horrific climax.
The stories in Dark Tales start off similarly, focusing on the mundane everyday - and go nowhere. They just end as boringly as they began. Like in The Possibility of Evil, the character potters about her home and town, doing grocery shopping or cooking or writing letters, someone will do or seem a bit off, and then the story’s over. Louisa, Please Come Home sees a teenager run away from home and be forgotten by her family. Zzz…
The more overtly supernatural stories are only slightly less dull and seem like corny Twilight Zone knockoffs. Like in The Bus where a stranded woman gets a lift to a familiar house that turns out to be her childhood home and she can’t escape it. The story Home features a pair of ghosts who like to sit in cars. Really??
Like in a lot of Jackson’s stories, the menace of small town America her paranoia made her feel is prevalent like in The Summer People but it’s so much better realised in stories like The Lottery or her novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
I suppose Dark Tales has well-written stories but Shirley Jackson is usually also able to grip and entertain the reader with the content as much as the style, and she fails consistently to do so throughout this collection. Evidently her best material is in her most well-known collection, The Lottery and Other Stories, which I’d recommend over this one. Dark Tales is full of nothing but bottom of the barrel scrapings - even if you’re a Jackson fan, this one’s not worth bothering with.
December 4, 2018
Devilishly dark.
"After her short story 'The Lottery' was published in the New Yorker in 1948, Shirley Jackson quickly established a reputation as a master storyteller of horror. this collection of classic and newly reprinted stories provides readers with more of her unsettling tales, including 'The Possibility of Evil' and 'The Summer People'. In these deliciously dark stories, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide-and-seek, the loving wife hides homicidal thoughts, and the concerned citizen might just be an infamous serial killer. In The haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe, from the city streets to the crumbling country pile, and from the small town apartment to the dark, dark woods. There's something sinister in suburbia."
I have the penguin classics version of this book and at first the cover art did not make sense to me. But then I read the first story and now the cover art makes me laugh every time I see it. These are dark tales yes, but some I find rather humorous in nature. Irony always strikes me as funny.
This was my introduction to Shirley Jackson's writings. I have to say that her writing style is very clean and, though she paints a vivid picture, is also very to the point. I definitely look forward to reading more of her works in the near future.
I would recommend these stories to just about everyone considering that most of these stories have a PG rating in the horror genre.
"After her short story 'The Lottery' was published in the New Yorker in 1948, Shirley Jackson quickly established a reputation as a master storyteller of horror. this collection of classic and newly reprinted stories provides readers with more of her unsettling tales, including 'The Possibility of Evil' and 'The Summer People'. In these deliciously dark stories, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide-and-seek, the loving wife hides homicidal thoughts, and the concerned citizen might just be an infamous serial killer. In The haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe, from the city streets to the crumbling country pile, and from the small town apartment to the dark, dark woods. There's something sinister in suburbia."
I have the penguin classics version of this book and at first the cover art did not make sense to me. But then I read the first story and now the cover art makes me laugh every time I see it. These are dark tales yes, but some I find rather humorous in nature. Irony always strikes me as funny.
This was my introduction to Shirley Jackson's writings. I have to say that her writing style is very clean and, though she paints a vivid picture, is also very to the point. I definitely look forward to reading more of her works in the near future.
I would recommend these stories to just about everyone considering that most of these stories have a PG rating in the horror genre.
September 1, 2023
Shirley Jackson appealed to my weirdness and thirst for the paranormal well before I even existed. Dark Tales has this old eerie charm bleeding from the stories and is chillingly sophisticated. Overall, rating this 4 stars. Some of the stories left me like this 🤔 and seemed underdeveloped or lacking, but I enjoyed being able to interpret them in my own way and figure out their obscured meanings.
My second Shirley Jackson Read! ❤️ ❤️
“There is a peculiar malfunction in the brain, I think, when something deeply familiar appears in a strange context.”
Story Ratings:
💀 The Possibility of Evil *****
“There was so much evil in people. Even in a charming little town like this one, there was still so much evil in people.”
Small Town charm where an old bat gets what she deserves!
Three word reaction. Revenge is sweet.
💀 Louisa, Please Come Home ****
“Nothing is hard to do unless you get upset or excited about it.”
Chilling and haunting. Hopeless and strange ending. Can you ever go back to how things once were exactly? This is a thought that often floods my mind stirring up some anxiety. Eek!
💀 Paranoia ***
What!? This was paranoia itself! And that twist at the end!! Ahhh!! Have you ever been followed before? Got that unsettling feeling before?
💀 The Honeymoon of Mrs. Smith ****
I love how the older days you could go in and order exactly the amounts needed for groceries i.e. a quarter pound of butter!
This one ended quite unnerving and unsettling. Surely she didn’t want….oh my…very philosophical as well. Giving up. Giving in. This one cut deep.
💀 The Story We Used to Tell *****
One word. Claustrophobic. Can you imagine becoming trapped in a photo?? The ending was mind-blowing!!! A favorite so far!!
💀 The Sorcerer's Apprentice ***
“Sometimes, when it had been a hard day at school and the future looked unusually dark, Miss Matt would permit herself to cry luxuriously for half an hour; afterward she would wash her face, and dress and go out to some nice restaurant for dinner.”
Not so sure I understand this one, so I’m feeling a bit frustrated. But I feel so sorry for Miss Mat. My heart breaks for her. The child acting bad was certainly creepy. I wondered if one of the characters was actually a ghost?? But the story never actually revealed the answer. Also not too sure what it has to do with sorcerer’s apprentice other than this was a record being listened to? Kind of a misleading title.
💀 Jack the Ripper ****
A very interesting account of Jack the Ripper. Was that a glimpse of sympathy I noticed from him? 😯
💀 The Beautiful Stranger ****
Wow…speechless. I really think this one was about detachment from reality and mental illness. But it was such a nice escape for the poor young lady. I felt profoundly bad for her. This one was surely distorted. Have you ever wanted something to change so badly you imagined a whole new reality?
💀 All She Said Was Yes *****
Main character kind of triggered some bad memories for me growing up. She was much too worried about cleaning and outward appearances during a time of a crisis. Superficial woman. Loved the touch of psychic/premonitions. And that ending!! Another sweet revenge! Yes! Loved it, loved it so much!! Another favorite. You reap what you sow.
💀 What a Thought ****
Uhm psycho much, or did he actually deserve it? A realistic look at intrusive thoughts and actually acting on them.
💀 The Bus *****
“One of those good old houses that were made to stand forever..”
It’s so sad they don’t make things like they used to with such care and quality. And this is a nightmare of a story. A nightmare that comes true! Enjoyed this one a lot!
💀 Family Treasures ***
Not quite sure what the point of this story was. Revenge? Kleptomania? Had some creepy vibes though. Knowing you are the guilty one while you watch all others helplessly trying to figure things out I don’t really get. That’s on a whole other level!
💀 A Visit ****
Mysterious and gothic. Longest story in the collection and the one that left way more questions than answers. Was this about a haunting? A hallucination?
💀 The Good Wife ****
This one was horrifying! Manipulation and gaslighting. A wife held prisoner. Flabbergasted!
💀 The Man in the Woods ***
This one was like a fairytale! But I’m uncertain what happened exactly at the end. I loved the imagery and eerie vibes of the cottage in the woods though.
💀 Home *****
Perfect! I got chicken skin reading this one. A well done ghost story!
💀 The Summer People ****
Odd ✓ This one was well written and vivid.
Last thoughts: Ahh!! The moment you realize there are easter eggs in some stories connected to other stories whether or not done intentionally, only Ms. Jackson will ever know. I suppose all these stories took place in the same universe however. The Bus and Louisa Please Come Home is where I found the easter egg. So cool! I’d really like to believe this is all happen in one big universe. The Shirley Jackson universe and ….that some of these characters have passed each other with a glance or whispered gossip about each other in the same room. Love that!
My second Shirley Jackson Read! ❤️ ❤️
“There is a peculiar malfunction in the brain, I think, when something deeply familiar appears in a strange context.”
Story Ratings:
💀 The Possibility of Evil *****
“There was so much evil in people. Even in a charming little town like this one, there was still so much evil in people.”
Small Town charm where an old bat gets what she deserves!
Three word reaction. Revenge is sweet.
💀 Louisa, Please Come Home ****
“Nothing is hard to do unless you get upset or excited about it.”
Chilling and haunting. Hopeless and strange ending. Can you ever go back to how things once were exactly? This is a thought that often floods my mind stirring up some anxiety. Eek!
💀 Paranoia ***
What!? This was paranoia itself! And that twist at the end!! Ahhh!! Have you ever been followed before? Got that unsettling feeling before?
💀 The Honeymoon of Mrs. Smith ****
I love how the older days you could go in and order exactly the amounts needed for groceries i.e. a quarter pound of butter!
This one ended quite unnerving and unsettling. Surely she didn’t want….oh my…very philosophical as well. Giving up. Giving in. This one cut deep.
💀 The Story We Used to Tell *****
One word. Claustrophobic. Can you imagine becoming trapped in a photo?? The ending was mind-blowing!!! A favorite so far!!
💀 The Sorcerer's Apprentice ***
“Sometimes, when it had been a hard day at school and the future looked unusually dark, Miss Matt would permit herself to cry luxuriously for half an hour; afterward she would wash her face, and dress and go out to some nice restaurant for dinner.”
Not so sure I understand this one, so I’m feeling a bit frustrated. But I feel so sorry for Miss Mat. My heart breaks for her. The child acting bad was certainly creepy. I wondered if one of the characters was actually a ghost?? But the story never actually revealed the answer. Also not too sure what it has to do with sorcerer’s apprentice other than this was a record being listened to? Kind of a misleading title.
💀 Jack the Ripper ****
A very interesting account of Jack the Ripper. Was that a glimpse of sympathy I noticed from him? 😯
💀 The Beautiful Stranger ****
Wow…speechless. I really think this one was about detachment from reality and mental illness. But it was such a nice escape for the poor young lady. I felt profoundly bad for her. This one was surely distorted. Have you ever wanted something to change so badly you imagined a whole new reality?
💀 All She Said Was Yes *****
Main character kind of triggered some bad memories for me growing up. She was much too worried about cleaning and outward appearances during a time of a crisis. Superficial woman. Loved the touch of psychic/premonitions. And that ending!! Another sweet revenge! Yes! Loved it, loved it so much!! Another favorite. You reap what you sow.
💀 What a Thought ****
Uhm psycho much, or did he actually deserve it? A realistic look at intrusive thoughts and actually acting on them.
💀 The Bus *****
“One of those good old houses that were made to stand forever..”
It’s so sad they don’t make things like they used to with such care and quality. And this is a nightmare of a story. A nightmare that comes true! Enjoyed this one a lot!
💀 Family Treasures ***
Not quite sure what the point of this story was. Revenge? Kleptomania? Had some creepy vibes though. Knowing you are the guilty one while you watch all others helplessly trying to figure things out I don’t really get. That’s on a whole other level!
💀 A Visit ****
Mysterious and gothic. Longest story in the collection and the one that left way more questions than answers. Was this about a haunting? A hallucination?
💀 The Good Wife ****
This one was horrifying! Manipulation and gaslighting. A wife held prisoner. Flabbergasted!
💀 The Man in the Woods ***
This one was like a fairytale! But I’m uncertain what happened exactly at the end. I loved the imagery and eerie vibes of the cottage in the woods though.
💀 Home *****
Perfect! I got chicken skin reading this one. A well done ghost story!
💀 The Summer People ****
Odd ✓ This one was well written and vivid.
Last thoughts: Ahh!! The moment you realize there are easter eggs in some stories connected to other stories whether or not done intentionally, only Ms. Jackson will ever know. I suppose all these stories took place in the same universe however. The Bus and Louisa Please Come Home is where I found the easter egg. So cool! I’d really like to believe this is all happen in one big universe. The Shirley Jackson universe and ….that some of these characters have passed each other with a glance or whispered gossip about each other in the same room. Love that!
November 13, 2017
These Dark Tales join the dots between frustration, despair, inertia and the uncanny. Although not all the stories have suburban settings, I can understand why this collection has the tagline 'there's something nasty in suburbia'. Jackson is a master of the horribly banal: more than one story makes getting out of public transport in the wrong place seem like a fate of hideous, insurmountable terror, and there's often a strong sense that characters are unable to escape from situations they would, in real life, be easily able to resolve or avoid. Many of the protagonists are female, and I wonder if something is being said here about the inevitable drudgery and constraint of women's roles in the mid-20th century.
So many of them have to do with being trapped. This can be literal: 'The Good Wife' involves a husband locking his wife in her room because of a supposed affair. It can be somehow supernatural: 'The Story We Used To Tell' and 'A Visit' both have characters becoming imprisoned within a representation of a particular place. The trap might be represented as a loop, a series of events that closes in on itself, as in 'Paranoia', wherein a man struggles to evade a stalker on his way home, only to find the conspiracy stretches further than he'd imagined. In 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice', you can really feel the protagonist's frustration at being menaced by a supremely irritating child; in several other stories, characters' frequent repetition of the same phrase and/or inability to understand what others are saying has a similar effect on the reader.
My personal favourites from Dark Tales are all stories in which the protagonist's character is just as important as what becomes of them. 'Home' is a ghost story, but there's an element of much-needed levity in the arrogance of Ethel Sloane, who supposes she is an expert on her new hometown just a couple of days after moving to the country (and pays the price for not heeding the locals' warnings about the Sanderson road). The narrator of 'All She Said Was Yes' displays a condescending, dismissive attitude towards her late neighbour's daughter – with similarly dire consequences. 'Family Treasures' sensitively portrays an outcast girl who becomes a kleptomaniac, and is the only one to end on a triumphant note. Finally, there's 'Louisa, Please Come Home', which follows a young woman who runs away and disguises her identity rather too successfully. During the course of the narrative, Louisa became such a compelling character that my emotions veered from one extreme to another along with hers.
Overall, Shirley Jackson's stories give me a similar feeling to Robert Aickman's. They are technically excellent, and I'm glad to say I've read them because of the author's influential status within genres I enjoy. However, I often found the stories in Dark Tales somewhat unpleasant to read and felt a certain amount of relief when I reached the end.
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So many of them have to do with being trapped. This can be literal: 'The Good Wife' involves a husband locking his wife in her room because of a supposed affair. It can be somehow supernatural: 'The Story We Used To Tell' and 'A Visit' both have characters becoming imprisoned within a representation of a particular place. The trap might be represented as a loop, a series of events that closes in on itself, as in 'Paranoia', wherein a man struggles to evade a stalker on his way home, only to find the conspiracy stretches further than he'd imagined. In 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice', you can really feel the protagonist's frustration at being menaced by a supremely irritating child; in several other stories, characters' frequent repetition of the same phrase and/or inability to understand what others are saying has a similar effect on the reader.
My personal favourites from Dark Tales are all stories in which the protagonist's character is just as important as what becomes of them. 'Home' is a ghost story, but there's an element of much-needed levity in the arrogance of Ethel Sloane, who supposes she is an expert on her new hometown just a couple of days after moving to the country (and pays the price for not heeding the locals' warnings about the Sanderson road). The narrator of 'All She Said Was Yes' displays a condescending, dismissive attitude towards her late neighbour's daughter – with similarly dire consequences. 'Family Treasures' sensitively portrays an outcast girl who becomes a kleptomaniac, and is the only one to end on a triumphant note. Finally, there's 'Louisa, Please Come Home', which follows a young woman who runs away and disguises her identity rather too successfully. During the course of the narrative, Louisa became such a compelling character that my emotions veered from one extreme to another along with hers.
Overall, Shirley Jackson's stories give me a similar feeling to Robert Aickman's. They are technically excellent, and I'm glad to say I've read them because of the author's influential status within genres I enjoy. However, I often found the stories in Dark Tales somewhat unpleasant to read and felt a certain amount of relief when I reached the end.
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December 29, 2016
Shirley Jackson here shows her mastery of the short story. Each of these 17 tales reflect normality gone wrong, staring with the world we all know, life 'as it is'. Then at various speeds and levels of intensity, Jackson takes the reader into the unusual, bizarre, unexpected. In some stories it is slipped under your radar so well that you carry on for several sentences or paragraphs after the divergence before you think 'hang on, what?' and have to go back to read it all over again. I'm not necessarily sure it's right to say that I enjoyed the experience, more that I appreciated the skill of the author. I was consistently reminded of the craft of writing, the structured and deliberate fashioning of a specific reader response. It would be an excellent book for writing courses, I leave it feeling I've seen something that is usually hidden.
ARC via Netgalley.
ARC via Netgalley.
December 8, 2023
Shirley Jackson be like cats are awesome, men cannot be trusted, and life is fundamentally disturbing and she is so right
December 31, 2021
This is a collection of seventeen excellent stories with an especially dark twist or turn. Some would have been great Twilight Zone episodes, some could have been great EC Comics stories, but all are extremely literate and captivating and illustrate the uncertainties and shortcomings that lie just around the corner or off the corner of the normal page. She takes some of the tropes of traditional horror and applies them seamlessly to the mainstream middle-class icons of the Eisenhower/Norman Rockwell era. I've read most of them before, but very much enjoyed revisiting them for my last book of this dreary year. There's a reason that the annual awards for best horror/suspense/dark fantastic literature are named in her honor! (You know, the science fiction fans' award is named in honor of Hugo Gernsback (father of science fiction), the mystery awards for Edgar Allan Poe (you know him, right?), the sf writers' for Nebuchadnezzar Louisiana (the great steampunk pioneer), etc.
Happy New Year.
Happy New Year.
May 17, 2023
07/2018
Creepiness, not obvious fright. More of a nightmare dream logic. Which can only mean death or seeing outside of the coils of time. The Bus exemplifies this, also A Visit (which I have read before, in Ladies of Horror, a collection from 1971). I also knew Louisa, Please Come Home from its inclusion in 2013's Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives. Obviously, I enjoyed reading both of these again. I also liked All She Said Was Yes. The Story We Used to Tell is significant in how it relates to certain other of Jackson's writing (most notably A Visit).
Creepiness, not obvious fright. More of a nightmare dream logic. Which can only mean death or seeing outside of the coils of time. The Bus exemplifies this, also A Visit (which I have read before, in Ladies of Horror, a collection from 1971). I also knew Louisa, Please Come Home from its inclusion in 2013's Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives. Obviously, I enjoyed reading both of these again. I also liked All She Said Was Yes. The Story We Used to Tell is significant in how it relates to certain other of Jackson's writing (most notably A Visit).
October 19, 2020
Let's just say I prefer Jackson's longer fiction.
I liked this collection, it had great pieces but also some average and below-average stories. One's I can recommend are:
The Possibility Of Evil
The gossip girl before gossip girl, suburban-style.
Louisa, Please come home
A missing person's deep dark fear.
The story we used to tell
Brings a whole other meaning to paintings can catch your soul.
All she said was yes
What can happen if you are a modern-day prophet or a prophet in any age.
A visit
Ever went on a never ending visit to your friends? Well, this is next level of that.
Home
In which you find out why you should always listen to the warnings your neighbors give you about roads that nobody travels on.
The stories sink into your subconscious with dread rather than horror. Quite an interesting collection and I love the foreword from Ottessa(I'd read anything by that woman honestly).
I liked this collection, it had great pieces but also some average and below-average stories. One's I can recommend are:
The Possibility Of Evil
The gossip girl before gossip girl, suburban-style.
Louisa, Please come home
A missing person's deep dark fear.
The story we used to tell
Brings a whole other meaning to paintings can catch your soul.
All she said was yes
What can happen if you are a modern-day prophet or a prophet in any age.
A visit
Ever went on a never ending visit to your friends? Well, this is next level of that.
Home
In which you find out why you should always listen to the warnings your neighbors give you about roads that nobody travels on.
The stories sink into your subconscious with dread rather than horror. Quite an interesting collection and I love the foreword from Ottessa(I'd read anything by that woman honestly).
April 20, 2020
An excellent selection that showcases Jackson's range, from realistic psychological horror ("Paranoia") to mythological fantasy ("The Man In The Woods"). Her writing is muscular but never heavy-handed, always perfectly poised. I think the most impressive of all are the stories that balance on the borderline between mythology and psychology, raising the feeling of (un)reality to a whole new level: the closing story, "The Summer People", is a superb example.
July 14, 2021
So glad that this was the first anthology of Ms. Jackson's work I started in my summer of re-reading her to ensure nothing missed. If you must read ONE collection of shorts by Shirley Jackson, people, this is it.
Don't be swayed by the fact that the The Lottery and Other Stories has The Lottery in it: it's uneven and you won't come away with the awe that you should have for Ms. Jackson. Read The Lottery separately (or better yet, read it AND listen to this NBC radio play that popularized it here . . . . SOOOO GOOD).
Anyway, this is truly the best of the best. There a few that have puzzling endings but for such a long collection, it is jammed full of memorable gems and I was so sad to have finished it in just five days.
Off to start her novels! If anyone has a suggestion (other than Haunting of Hill House/We Have Always Lived), please let me know.
Don't be swayed by the fact that the The Lottery and Other Stories has The Lottery in it: it's uneven and you won't come away with the awe that you should have for Ms. Jackson. Read The Lottery separately (or better yet, read it AND listen to this NBC radio play that popularized it here . . . . SOOOO GOOD).
Anyway, this is truly the best of the best. There a few that have puzzling endings but for such a long collection, it is jammed full of memorable gems and I was so sad to have finished it in just five days.
Off to start her novels! If anyone has a suggestion (other than Haunting of Hill House/We Have Always Lived), please let me know.
May 6, 2024
Five star books don’t necessarily have to contain perfection between the covers. This is the case with my beloved Ms Jackson and her collection of Dark Tales, because there were a few here that I simply didn’t like or understand.
I’ve given this full marks even though there’s four one star ‘I did not like it’ stories. The five stars are because so much of it spoke to me, loud and clear.
I felt that some of the tales Shirley told here were written for me, exclusively, to read in the first week of May, 2024. Character names, character thought processes, their reactions, relationships, the settings, and even their clothing and personal effects, all felt oddly familiar, coincidental. I heard myself saying ‘no way’, ‘unbelievable’ and ‘okay, it’s getting weird’, almost on repeat.
I think I need to go back and start again with this just to check that I wasn’t imagining everything that was so spot on and relative to me and my life so far, being read, at the start of May. It’s spooky!
I chose this book to read from the many I have on my bookshelves, however, in hindsight, I think that it chose me.
Disclaimer: ‘What a Thought’, the tenth story in the collection, did not in any way encourage thoughts of violence, (or heavy glass ashtrays), on a day that my husband had actually really f*****g annoyed me.
Shirley, I always want to speak to you after I’ve read you. Your words are like a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, my most favourite dark and delicious tonic.
✨🐈⬛✨🍷✨🐈✨
The Possibility of Evil - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Louisa, Please Come Home - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Paranoia - 🌟🌟🌟
The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 🌟
The Story We Used to Tell - 🌟
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 🌟🌟
Jack the Ripper - 🌟
The Beautiful Stranger - 🌟
All She Said Was Yes - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
What a Thought - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Bus - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Family Treasures - 🌟🌟🌟
A Visit - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Good Wife - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Man in the Woods - 🌟🌟🌟
Home - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Summer People - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌟- 4
🌟🌟- 1
🌟🌟🌟- 3
🌟🌟🌟🌟- 5
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟- 4
I’ve given this full marks even though there’s four one star ‘I did not like it’ stories. The five stars are because so much of it spoke to me, loud and clear.
I felt that some of the tales Shirley told here were written for me, exclusively, to read in the first week of May, 2024. Character names, character thought processes, their reactions, relationships, the settings, and even their clothing and personal effects, all felt oddly familiar, coincidental. I heard myself saying ‘no way’, ‘unbelievable’ and ‘okay, it’s getting weird’, almost on repeat.
I think I need to go back and start again with this just to check that I wasn’t imagining everything that was so spot on and relative to me and my life so far, being read, at the start of May. It’s spooky!
I chose this book to read from the many I have on my bookshelves, however, in hindsight, I think that it chose me.
Disclaimer: ‘What a Thought’, the tenth story in the collection, did not in any way encourage thoughts of violence, (or heavy glass ashtrays), on a day that my husband had actually really f*****g annoyed me.
Shirley, I always want to speak to you after I’ve read you. Your words are like a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, my most favourite dark and delicious tonic.
✨🐈⬛✨🍷✨🐈✨
The Possibility of Evil - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Louisa, Please Come Home - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Paranoia - 🌟🌟🌟
The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 🌟
The Story We Used to Tell - 🌟
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 🌟🌟
Jack the Ripper - 🌟
The Beautiful Stranger - 🌟
All She Said Was Yes - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
What a Thought - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Bus - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Family Treasures - 🌟🌟🌟
A Visit - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Good Wife - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Man in the Woods - 🌟🌟🌟
Home - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Summer People - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌟- 4
🌟🌟- 1
🌟🌟🌟- 3
🌟🌟🌟🌟- 5
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟- 4
December 9, 2016
My first taster of Shirley Jackson, a writer who has been on my radar for a while: these short stories are gloriously off-kilter, little gems of unease.
Some of them probe the hidden lives of women who appear 'nice' on the surface but have more going on underneath; others seem to channel the paranoia of 1950s USA with the anxiety of McCarthyism displaced onto strange and unsettling situations in urban environments; some are more clearly haunted stories. Jackson skill is to make the everyday (a bus driver who rushes past a stop or two) feel menacing and sinister, and there's an undertow of grotesque humour at times such as in the opening story set in a little traditional homely town.
There is something a little old-fashioned about these tales, though the tension between the sometimes-cosy settings and the trajectory of the story helps to foreground what is unnerving about them. I can see how a modern writer like Joyce Carol Oates draws on Jackson's influence to create her own contemporary tales of C21st unease.
So a good way to dip into Jackson and this has certainly whetted my appetite for her novels.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
Some of them probe the hidden lives of women who appear 'nice' on the surface but have more going on underneath; others seem to channel the paranoia of 1950s USA with the anxiety of McCarthyism displaced onto strange and unsettling situations in urban environments; some are more clearly haunted stories. Jackson skill is to make the everyday (a bus driver who rushes past a stop or two) feel menacing and sinister, and there's an undertow of grotesque humour at times such as in the opening story set in a little traditional homely town.
There is something a little old-fashioned about these tales, though the tension between the sometimes-cosy settings and the trajectory of the story helps to foreground what is unnerving about them. I can see how a modern writer like Joyce Carol Oates draws on Jackson's influence to create her own contemporary tales of C21st unease.
So a good way to dip into Jackson and this has certainly whetted my appetite for her novels.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
December 13, 2017
This collection of shorts is my first experience with Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House author, and inspiration to Stephen King.
Things to Know
1. The writing style is dated by long, convoluted sentences and stiff vocab. That kind of prose puts me off classics in general. I admit, I skimmed.
2. However, in many ways, these stories feel right at home in 2017 because Jackson was decades ahead of her time. Most of her narrators are women. The tales themselves are dark and vaguely violent. Polite, well-behaved ladies don’t brood on such disturbing thoughts, y’all. Or at least they didn’t back in Shirley’s day which automatically makes her one of my heroes. I’m surprised she found a publisher while still alive. 👏🏻
3. I don’t mean to compare a sledgehammer to a chisel, but ... like Poe, Jackson’s plots are off kilter enough to make you wonder about the mental stability of the author. Some quick research confirms Jackson’s life wasn’t blissful. And the strain shows in her writing.
4. Some of the stories are obvious. Others aren’t. I’ve read that Jackson was meticulous in her craft. She had a purpose in mind for every detail. But some of her best intentions are lost on the likes of me.
5. The stories range enough in topic and quality that you probably won’t enjoy every one. I didn’t, anyway. But the ones I do like, I like exceptionally well.
My favorites:
The Possibility of Evil - You know those people who go to church every Sunday and always take care to act prim and proper, but you just know they’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Yeah. Shirley knew some too, I guess.
Jack the Ripper - So short, so simple, and yet so chilling.
All She Said Was Yes - If you’ve ever worried that people are just acting polite and don’t really give a damn about their fellow man ... well. You may be right.
What a Thought - This is a what if story. What if you have a sudden, inexplicable, overwhelming urge to do something terrible?
Family Treasures - I would call Shirley a feminist. But listen. If you’ve ever lived in an all girl college dorm, or been within a mile of one, you know the female capacity for drama and manipulation. Disguised as sweetness, of course. Here ya go. Kind of a retro, non-hilarious Mean Girls. Jackson is the Tina Fey of the dark side.
Summer People - It’s a prelude to Deliverance, Yankee style.
Things to Know
1. The writing style is dated by long, convoluted sentences and stiff vocab. That kind of prose puts me off classics in general. I admit, I skimmed.
2. However, in many ways, these stories feel right at home in 2017 because Jackson was decades ahead of her time. Most of her narrators are women. The tales themselves are dark and vaguely violent. Polite, well-behaved ladies don’t brood on such disturbing thoughts, y’all. Or at least they didn’t back in Shirley’s day which automatically makes her one of my heroes. I’m surprised she found a publisher while still alive. 👏🏻
3. I don’t mean to compare a sledgehammer to a chisel, but ... like Poe, Jackson’s plots are off kilter enough to make you wonder about the mental stability of the author. Some quick research confirms Jackson’s life wasn’t blissful. And the strain shows in her writing.
4. Some of the stories are obvious. Others aren’t. I’ve read that Jackson was meticulous in her craft. She had a purpose in mind for every detail. But some of her best intentions are lost on the likes of me.
5. The stories range enough in topic and quality that you probably won’t enjoy every one. I didn’t, anyway. But the ones I do like, I like exceptionally well.
My favorites:
The Possibility of Evil - You know those people who go to church every Sunday and always take care to act prim and proper, but you just know they’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Yeah. Shirley knew some too, I guess.
Jack the Ripper - So short, so simple, and yet so chilling.
All She Said Was Yes - If you’ve ever worried that people are just acting polite and don’t really give a damn about their fellow man ... well. You may be right.
What a Thought - This is a what if story. What if you have a sudden, inexplicable, overwhelming urge to do something terrible?
Family Treasures - I would call Shirley a feminist. But listen. If you’ve ever lived in an all girl college dorm, or been within a mile of one, you know the female capacity for drama and manipulation. Disguised as sweetness, of course. Here ya go. Kind of a retro, non-hilarious Mean Girls. Jackson is the Tina Fey of the dark side.
Summer People - It’s a prelude to Deliverance, Yankee style.
October 31, 2019
In some of these seventeen stories by Shirley Jackson, the usual takes a strange turn: a wife finds her thoughts taking unexpected directions; a schoolgirl visits a friend’s manor house with unending rooms; an older couple decides to stay a few weeks longer in their summer cottage and find life out of season has some surprises for them. In other stories, the unusual takes a stranger turn: an act of kindness surprises a poison pen letter writer; a bride accepts her unusual fate; a young girl tries to change the future; a man lost in the woods finds a mythic destiny. Written to entertain and to unsettle, these tales do just that.
December 21, 2021
I could not put this book down. It seemed like every story was better then the one before it.
I am ashamed to admit that it took me so long to read one of Shirley Jackson book's, but now I will not stop until I find and read them all.
Anyone who loves a great story will devour this book. Five stars is not enough.
I am ashamed to admit that it took me so long to read one of Shirley Jackson book's, but now I will not stop until I find and read them all.
Anyone who loves a great story will devour this book. Five stars is not enough.
November 12, 2020
2.5 Stars round down
This was irritating beyond belief. There were a couple good stories and many good ideas, but it's like Jackson would suddenly grow bored of whatever story she was telling and just STOP. So many had non-endings! I'm also convinced she hates (hated) people, especially men. At least I finished it and can move on to something else.
This was irritating beyond belief. There were a couple good stories and many good ideas, but it's like Jackson would suddenly grow bored of whatever story she was telling and just STOP. So many had non-endings! I'm also convinced she hates (hated) people, especially men. At least I finished it and can move on to something else.
Read
November 2, 2021all my thoughts here:
https://youtu.be/zdUMlFv5HMw
https://youtu.be/zdUMlFv5HMw
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