Review: Dark Tales

4 stars. Proud of myself for finishing a book, although it probably took me twice as long as it normally would have to get through these wonderful stories. Nobody needs me to talk about why Shirley Jackson is an icon - truly, there isn't a single word out of place in any of these bangers - and now that I'm sort of used to her cadence, I'm going to miss being able to rely on her satisfying twists. 

There's an assortment of delights here, some focused on the spooky and supernatural, others dark fantasy, still others the disturbingly dark side of humanity. Some of these stories are predictable - telegraphed by the title - and others sneak up on you, landing with a heart-thumping jolt. Some will really stick with me. I woke up one morning thinking about Louisa, Please Come Home, and The Bus - my favorite - will probably dance around in my head for weeks. I'll defend the perfect end of The Summer People to anyone who asks.

As always, Shirley explores - I would maybe even say, turns upside down - themes such as family, memory, small towns, marriage, friendship, and seems to delight in painting for us the many faces of evil. Each story is like an episode of The Twilight Zone, with slightly different levels of noise and flavor and tone. Not all of them are accessible (The Honeymoon of Mrs. Smith is kind of opaque), but all of them are a joy to read. She's a master at distracting you - immersing you - before pulling out the rug.

Dark Tales is a classic that belongs as part of the horror curriculum. I look forward to slowly making my way through all of the Shirley classics, because it's nice to gulp down her crunchy prose, but also, it's fun to see how her legacy lives on in the horror it has inspired. Don't make my mistake - this is not meant for April/May. Read this in October.

Dark Tales on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads