Just An Ordinary Day
Back Cover Text:"Jackson at her best...a gift to a new generation." - San Francisco Chronicle
“Shirley Jackson’s stories are among the most terrifying ever written.” - Donna Tartt
A collection of stories, equal parts unsettling and clever, that will delight longtime fans and introduce new readers to Shirley Jackson’s indelible work
Acclaimed in her own time for her short story “The Lottery” and her novel The Haunting of Hill House - classics ranking with the works of Edgar Allan Poe - Shirley Jackson blazed a path for contemporary writers with her explorations of evil, madness, and cruelty. After her untimely death in 1965, two of Jackson’s children discovered a treasure trove of her work and continued to search for more unpublished and uncompiled stories, many of which are brought together in this remarkable collection.
Here are tales of torment, psychological aberration, and the macabre, as well as those that display her lighter touch with humorous scenes of domestic life. Her examination of human nature is as sharply observed today as it was when she first put pen to paper, drawing in new readers with its timeless relevance. Reflecting the range and complexity of Jackson’s talent, Just an Ordinary Day reaffirms her enduring influence and celebrates her singular voice, rich with magic and resonance.
“When I meet readers and other writers of my generation, I find that mentioning [Shirley Jackson] is like uttering a holy name.” - Victor LaValle
“[Shirley Jackson’s] work exerts an enduring spell.” - Joyce Carol Oates
“An author who not only writes beautifully but who knows what there is, in this world, to be scared of.” - Francine Prose
“Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders.” - Dorothy Parker
“The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable.” - A. M. Homes