A review by tasharobinson
Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings by Shirley Jackson

4.0

I'm usually pretty dubious about anthologies, let alone anthologies of "never before collected work" appearing decades after the author's death, let alone "new collection" anthologies that cover this much ground, in terms of short stories, essays, lectures, and incomplete work. But I was repeatedly surprised by this book, which has some really terrific stuff in it — especially "The Man In The Woods," which could be a Neil Gaiman short story, and the quirky little essays about writing, which provide some insight into where "The Lottery" and The Haunting Of Hill House came from. Jackson is a very idiosyncratic and specific author, but she creates character beautifully through action rather than description, and the brevity of some of these stories really illustrates what she does that's unique and specific. There's one incomplete story in this book that I really wish she'd written more of, because the characters are so daring, hilarious, and awful, but for the most part, these are complete works, complete thoughts, and completely enjoyable.