Penguin Classics The Road Through the Wall, (Paperback)

from ElizaJane

Shirley Jackson's first book was an engrossing tale. Genre-defying I'd label it as psychological fiction. At its heart, it is a neighbourhood drama. The plot takes place on one street and includes the inhabitants and their comings and goings, especially the children. Everything seems idyllic but ...

from CurrerBell

This isn't a novel about a character. It's a novel about a whole neighborhood, and that's quite a number of characters, and that's quite a bit difficult keeping them all straight. I'm going to have to reread this because it's interesting and I think I'll get more out of it on a second read, but o...

from KLmesoftly

I was NOT expecting that ending! I'm glad I went into this one with low expectations, because it really impressed me - it was both quintessential Shirley Jackson (ambiguous ending, slowly-building tension, the warping of commonplace occurrences and character types into something sinister) and not...

from BooksCatsEtc

Life in the suburbs of California during the mid-century. The small-mindedness, the casual bigotry, the adolescent angst, the mean girls and the losers -- none of it's changed but here it has the benefit of Jackson's excellent writing.

from chrisblocker

Shirley Jackson brings her uncanny wit and astute observations to SUBURBIA! A huge ensemble cast makes this a difficult one to connect with, but it's oh so clever and filled to the brim with absurd reality. This isn't the best Jackson for readers looking for a strong story or character arcs, but ...