I began the year with a review of a collection of Shirley
Jackson’s previously uncollected writings and now I’m ending it with a biography on her.
Title:
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
Author:
Ruth Franklin
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
About the book…
A
biography on Shirley Jackson covering her life from childhood to death.
What
I think…
Being a fan of Shirley Jackson I had been looking forward to
this being published and was not at all disappointed, in fact considering it to
be one of the best non-fiction books I read this year. It was well written, thorough,
and I felt I learned a considerable amount about Jackson.
Franklin does a
really nice job of balancing information about Jackson’s family life, social
life, and her writing. Much of it, as with any writer, was intertwined, but it
never seemed as though Franklin was choosing to focus on one aspect more than
another. I found learning about the way her writing style progressed throughout
her life, as well as the influences on it, to be especially interesting.
I
liked that Franklin addressed what was going historically at the time aside
from the typical knowledge we associate with the decade giving background into
why Jackson may have felt the way she did about certain issues that are touched
on in her writing. There was also a portion near the start of the book that
addressed Jackson’s family history and interviews with friends of Jackson and
Hyman, as well as their children are included, which I felt, overall added to an
understanding of her background.
Having read three of her six novels it didn’t
bother me much, but a warning for those who haven’t read much of Jackson, the
endings of multiple novels (and some short stories) she wrote are discussed, so
be prepared for spoilers especially in regards to The Haunting of Hill House.
To
sum it all up…
Highly recommendable if
you like Jackson’s writing and want to know more about her. ♥
