Say what you will about Stephen King, the guy's a great author, but the few stories I've read of Shirley Jackson's that lady can take a simple drama or comedy and make it ominous. Stephen King is an outstanding horror writer but he does not compare to Shirley Jackson in my opinion. The Daemon Lover is my favorite of her stories but some may know her from The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House (which I still have not read), and We Have Always Lived in the Castle (which I have also not read). I'm slowly progressing (because of my OCD) through The Lottery and Other Stories, an omnibus of her short works. Has anyone read any of Shirley Jackson's works? What do you think of her writing?
If you like Jackson and haven't read We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House, you should get on those. I like her short stories, but those are her best works
I hear that. Stephen King is one of my favorites but his shit isn't "important." You're not going to question life or your own humanity after reading his stuff, but Shirley Jackson will.
The remarkable thing about Shirley Jackson is her ability to write how people think; I remember being especially struck by this when reading Haunting of Hill House (which was the first thing of hers I read). A wonderful writer, and often most disturbing. But I like that.
