A review by spaceisavacuum
The Road Through the Wall by Shirley Jackson

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Pepper Street, home to a panoply of denizens who, for better or worse, keep their superstitions alive and gossip of one another flourishing. The adults were once kids themselves, of course, but want nothing better than their children to stick to their rules. The children sneak out at night, write naughty love letters together, read Thackeray’s Vanity Fair… while their parents, pedagogic and stern- keep their high minded attitudes to advise their children, do not befriend, or choose friends wisely. Yet, they gather over tea themselves to discuss how nasty one another’s children are. As if they themselves aren’t aberrantly flawed.