When I realized that most of these letters were written to Jackson’s parents I was disappointed. Where was the literary gossip you’d expect from a writer of her stature? Instead of recounting feuds, she wrote about her children, and her quiet life in Vermont. As the book progressed, I found myself entranced. It turned out that I liked keeping up with her four kids, each of whom was unique and interesting. Jackson was a good mother–an all-time great one, maybe– and that’s what the book is ultimately about.
Review from The Letters of Shirley Jackson →