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Tayreads608 t1_ixs6ar8 wrote

Welcome to the world of Shirley Jackson. She’s utterly brilliant and exploring her bibliography is such a treat.

Hill House is one of my favorite books ever. I don’t find it scary as much as I find it both claustrophobic and unmooring. Eleanor is such a well written character. Her decent into madness is both a spectacle and wildly relatable. It’s, IMO, one of the best explorations of caretaker abuse and how both the trauma of that and the female experience leads to a devouring by the heteronormative and domestic.

If you haven’t already, check out Laura Millers introduction to the piece and keep digging into Jackson, because she’s still so relevant and so talented.

Edit: I also just want to mention that Jackson is funny and there’s a lot of humor and wit throughout her work. If you want a really good example of that check out either one of her memoirs, Life Among the Saves and Raising Demons, or The Sundial

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AxidentalMe OP t1_ixsivt0 wrote

I can’t wait. I’ve been thinking about it all day and dying to discuss it with people but no one has read it. There’s something so oddly relatable to it all even though I’ve never experienced anything like it. Eleanor goes crazy but you can’t help but full fascinated by it all

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Tayreads608 t1_ixsqzry wrote

Oh I know. No one I know off the internet has read it and it’s such a good book to discuss. Jackson’s writing is just so subtle and layered. I hope you enjoy the rest of her work!

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