The Shirley Jackson Book Cover Project

Back Cover Text:

Sepulangnya dari kantor yang nyaman dan ber-AC, dengan hati riang dan berencana makan malam istimewa bersama istri tercinta, Mr. Beresford malahan harus kehilangan “rasa nyaman” yang seharian tadi dinikmatinya sebagaimana halnya dirasakan para pekerja kantoran di New York pada umumnya, karena kehadiran sebuah gangguan terus-menerus dari seorang pria yang menguntitnya ke mana pun kakinya melangkah.

Celakanya, dia tidak mampu menghilangkan jejak, walaupun jelas-jelas dirinya berjalan di antara keramaian orang, di tempat umum yang antara satu orang dengan lainnya, sibuk dengan urusan masing-masing. Di pusat bisnis Kota New York.

Pria itu selalu bisa menemukannya, menatap setiap pergerakannya. Mr. Beresford merasa mungkin dirinya salah menilai dan mengenali pakaian pria asing itu, meskipun tidak mengungkapkannya secara verbal, tapi apa maknanya karena alasan atau dirinya begitu bersalah?

Masih dengan kisah-kisah yang kerap membuat kening pembaca berkerut, mau tidak mau mempertanyakan kaitan antara satu hal dengan hal lainnya, Shirley Jackson dalam antologi Paranoia, menghadirkan 7 cerita pendek yang selalu butuh untuk dibaca berulang-ulang agar dipahami maksud tersiratnya.

Translation (via Claude Opus 4.8):

Returning home from his comfortable, air-conditioned office, in a cheerful mood and planning a special dinner with his beloved wife, Mr. Beresford instead loses the “sense of comfort” he had enjoyed all day - just as most office workers in New York feel it& - because of the constant disturbance of a man who follows him wherever his feet take him.

Unfortunately, he is unable to shake off the trail, even though he is plainly walking among a crowd of people, in public places where everyone is busy with their own affairs. In the business district of New York City.

The man can always find him, watching his every move. Mr. Beresford feels he may have misjudged and misidentified the stranger’s clothing, though he does not say so aloud—but what does it matter, if the reason is that he himself feels so guilty?

Still full of stories that often furrow the reader’s brow, forcing them to question the connection between one thing and another, Shirley Jackson, in the anthology Paranoia, presents 7 short stories that always need to be read again and again in order to grasp their hidden meaning.