The same year, 1948, that Shirley Jackson presented "The Lottery" to the reading public, she gave a foreshadowing of it and future things to come, with the publication of her first novel, "The Road Through The Wall." Having read most of Jackson's work, after finishing Ruth Franklin's biography of her, I felt it was high time I read this early novel.
As I said, elsewhere, Shirley Jackson was not the first to write about small town mendacity, nor would she be the last. But she wrote about it in what would come to be her fashion, a mixture of the mundane, easing the reader into a tranquil state, before hitting one on the head with unfathomable horror.
I confess I did not see the climax of this one coming. As one who has read much of Jackson's work, that is high praise. I felt ambivalent about one aspect of it, but I will not reveal more than that. Pretty much most of the characters in this book are horrid, in that small town way citizens who live in their own enclave are. They can, and may, indeed be, nice, some of the time, but sooner or later, true colors are shown.
Even though this story is set in a California town in 1936, any post war suburban raised kid, now adult, will get it. I don't think this book caused the sensation that "The Lottery" did, but, with time's passing, and Jackson being recognized as a staunch writer of solid American literature, I think it will be re-discovered, and seen for the brilliant work it is.
Shirley Jackson may have loathed suburbia as many of us once did, but it can't be denied that this loathing did something for her career. And readers are all the better for it!!!!!!!!
Don't miss this one, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment