A review by thepaperbackplanner
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

4.0

It seems wild that I have not actually read "The Lottery" until now. I knew the gist of it, of course, but I simply hadn't sought out the full story. So when someone tweeted a link to it in a digital publication, I thought, why not! And I'm glad I did, because it's still quite chilling, even though I knew how it ended. The total coolness of the townsfolk — and even excitement from the children — toward the ceremony is so sharp and unsettling. And the way the characters talk about other towns that have fully left the tradition behind, insinuating that those people are putting themselves in danger by shunning the lottery, rings true in so many obvious ways today. Detailed, incisive, and riveting, this is what short fiction should be.