Dark Tales, A Review

Dark Tales

by Shirley Jackson

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"An odd thought crossed her mind: she would pick up the heavy glass ashtray and smash her husband over the head with it." - Jackson

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Dark Tales is a wonderful collection of unease, Gothic horror, and ageing, struggling, female characters. Each tale, while distinctly individual, was easy enough to image as taking place in the same world, the real world. None seemed to far out of place that I couldn't imagine this delicate terror approaching me as I walked home alone at night. And the stories are so heartfelt and personal that it is not my number one wish to own a pleasant yet demure pocketbook. And my number one fear of dying alone as a receptionist in a room in a New York boarding house.

As I did with my first review of an anthology, I plan to make it a habit to review any collections of stories that I read by looking at each story individually, and briefly. Again, this is a collection I read quite some time ago, but not long enough to revisit yet and recapture the tense feelings. As such, my reviews will take into consideration the memorability of the stories.

All She Said Was Yes ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a weird one. It was very good, a nice twist, an interesting concept. But I hated every character.

A Visit ⭐⭐⭐

It was ok. I liked the mystery and the tension built by the family. But, again maybe down to my inability to gauge deeper meaning and subtle themes, it went straight over my head.

The Beautiful Stranger ⭐⭐⭐

Another tale of unease. It was interesting to decide who was the break in reality here. By the end I was almost convinced it was me.

The Bus ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I thought this was an interestingly ambiguous story, and every theme or subtle plot I could think of was equally disturbing.

Family Treasures ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think this one would have been three stars if not for the eerily accurate portrayal of someone unhinged and their relationships with those around them in close quarters.

The Good Wife ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Featuring me, yelling at a character until they can hear my thoughts about their situation and my desperate attempts to help them.

Home ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A classically Jackson take on what is now a staple of the urban legend.

The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith ⭐⭐⭐

This might be one of those cases where the ultimate goal of the story was perhaps too subtle for me to figure it out. I think I came to my own conclusion for the ending, but anything I thought to be the point just asked more questions and gave no answers.

Jack the Ripper ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I wanted to like this more, because of obvious true crime obsessed reasons. I just didn't find it quite perfect, but even so it was thoroughly enjoyable and it was nice to see Jackson's take on the man, the legend.

Louisa, Please Come Home ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed the ending of this one. It was an absolute gut punch, and so sad. It was a real life kind of nightmare akin to an episode of the Twilight Zone.

The Man in the Woods ⭐⭐⭐

Very strange little story. It felt almost like a fairytale. It was weird, but in a way I could enjoy.

Paranoia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spectacular ending! It's just mastery of the craft to let the entire success of a story land on it's very last line. The payout for the stressful journey you are taken on is very fun.

The Possibility of Evil ⭐⭐⭐

This is a delicious little moral tale almost. Our main character gets what she deserves and I was quite glad of that. It's an interesting take on a somewhat familiar trope.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice ⭐

I don't particularly remember all the details of this one, but what I do remember didn't capture me. It was an acceptable story, but it didn't, for me, hit the same level of "dark" as the other dark tales.

The Story We Used to Tell ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The only reason I think I liked this so much is because it reminded me so much of The Haunting of Hill House which I loved. I definitely pictured the events of this supernatural tale taking place in Hill House, so the world felt eerily familiar. But even aside from that, this was a nicely spooky story.

The Summer People ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The mystery, the dependent yet hateful relationship that townspeople have with the tourists, the possible lottery-esque town rules in play. This is a very interesting, and very tense story.

What a Thought ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I relate. To the intrusive thoughts element, and the fear they bring. Not to anything else. I am innocent.