A review by jcpdiesel21
The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

3.0

Not entirely what I expected. Due to the fact that I enjoyed [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415357189s/89724.jpg|847007] so much and remembered liking "The Lottery" when assigned to read it back in high school, I figured that this collection would be more of the same and was excited to pick it up. Not so much, unfortunately, and I found my attention wandering often. The Gothic elements from Jackson's other works are present here, but merely in bits and pieces. The best stories created a creepy, mysterious aura that lingered with me; I experienced this most strongly with "The Renegade" and "Charles." It's no wonder that the collection takes its title from the strongest tale of the bunch, which is well crafted with a horrifying twist at the end, although it doesn't pack quite a punch upon repeat readings. "Trial by Combat" and "Flower Garden" explore Jackson's views on society and prejudice and are satisfying in a surprising way. However, too many of the stories either fail have a point or are too short to leave any sort of lasting impact. Jackson's strong writing bumps the rating up a little, but I desperately wanted to like this book so much more.