A review by ceallaighsbooks
Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

“And that is how we tell it, Y and I, in the quiet of the night, in the hours of the quiet of the night, with the moonlight moving close, while we wait in the secret of the night…” — from “The Story We Used To Tell” 
 
TITLE—Dark Tales 
AUTHOR—Shirley Jackson 
PUBLISHED—various; this edition 2017 
 
GENRE—short stories; literary fiction 
SETTING—various vague contemporary American locations 
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—mental illness, female oppression, trauma, American society, precognition & the supernatural, gothic atmosphere 
 
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
STORY/PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
BONUS ELEMENT/S—“The Man in the Woods” was a really cool creepy fairytale that reminded me a little of Laird Hunt’s In the House in the Dark of the Woods 
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
 
This turned out to be a really good summer read featuring the kinds of stories you would tell around evening campfires—especially “The Summer People” and “The Story We Used to Tell”. Jackson’s unique writing style is still my favorite thing about her stories. I love the way she uses repetition to give a sense of unsettling desperation. 
 
What I also love about Jackson’s stories is that she emphasizes the terror of everyday people and situations. It’s almost like she’s telling her readers: y’all are scared of the wrong things. You want scary? I’ll show you scary: conservative white people, small town America, old ladies—*that* shit’s scary. 😂 
 
“The Story We Used to Tell”, “The Man in the Woods”, and “Family Treasures” (which had a good dark academia feel to it) were my favorites of this collection. I’m looking forward to reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Bird’s Nest next. 
 
“The sound of a river came from among the trees. The river knew a way out of the forest, because it moved along sweetly and clearly, over clean stones and, unafraid, among the dark trees.” — from “The Man in the Woods” 
 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 
 
TW // stalking, paranoia, kleptomania (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!) 
 
Further Reading— 
  • The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
  • We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson—TBR
  • The Bird’s Nest, by Shirley Jackson—TBR
  • In the House in the Dark of the Woods, by Laird Hunt
  • Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold

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