The Lottery and Other Stories – Shirley Jackson

Expectation: An assortment of psychological thrillers buoyed by the author’s famous short story, “The Lottery.”

Reality: While each story has elements of intrigue, this was a rather boring outing. If you’re interested in “The Lottery,” skip the full collection and seek it out as a standalone.

My Take:

Shirley Jackson is an author that I really want to like, but I can’t seem to find the story that seals the deal for me. I had hoped this collection, which includes — arguably — her most famous publication, “The Lottery,” would do the trick. It didn’t. 

Maybe it was the uneven audiobook narration or boredom with the recurrent themes, but working my way through this was more tedious than entertaining. It’s not dissimilar to how I felt after reading Jackon’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” and tonally these are close cousins. 

First published in 1949, there are elements in each one of the 25 stories that is ahead of its time — there’s explorations of gender norms and racism — but it’s the psychological impact of being a perpetual outsider that Jackson frequents more than anything. 

Many of the stories focus on a character being asked to accept a situation that, on the surface, seems banal but in reality is somewhat malicious. This is most obvious in the namesake story with town-sponsored murder, but it was far more understated and impactful in “The Renegade” and “Elizabeth.”

These three stories are part of a handful I’d recommend to other readers who want to test if Jackson is a writer attuned to their sensibilities without fully committing to a novel (the others are “My Life with R.H. Macy,” “The Witch,” “Seven Types of Ambiguity” and “Of Course”). 

Jackson’s talents as a writer are clear, and she’s earned her title as an astute cultural critic whose body of work deserves celebration. But, with all art, it comes down to personal preference and my tastes aren’t fully aligned to what her bibliography provides. Even as a fan of layered, character-driven stories, Jackson’s writing veers too much into psyche. We all have internal monologues, but not all are enjoyable to hear.  

As noted, the audiobook was a rather lackluster affair. Cassandra Campbell, Gabrielle de Cuir, Kathe Mazur and Stefan Rudnicki took turns performing each story but none of them particularly captured my interest – especially Campbell who performs everything the same way. 

Truthfully, had I not been listening to the collection I would’ve given up on it. After part one it was clear this wasn’t going to be to my tastes, and in hindsight, I probably should’ve skipped the full volume and sought out only “The Lottery” instead. 

Rating (story): 3/5 stars

Rating (narration): 2.5/5 stars

Format: Audiobook (library loan)

Dates read: October 10 – October 17, 2023

Multi-tasking: Good to go, although each story contains a lot of nuance so you’ll want to participate in activities that don’t require too much focus.