It’s certainly eerie, given the atmosphere and the “EVERYTHING WILL BE LOVELY AND FINE” attitude Constance and Merrycat present.  Mary Katherine I’d rather forthcoming and nonchalant regarding her dark thoughts, of which there are an abundance.  Although she is said to be eighteen years old, she has much of the thought process of a child, and often times you begin to feel that the character may not truly understand the weight of all of her decisions and her actions.

The fact that circumstances have gone horribly askew, and yet here will all are, still smiling, adds that uniquely unsettling tone to the story. 

And might I add, Shirley Jackson certainly wrote like a God.  The prose was beautiful and brilliant, and inspired me to become a better writer myself.

But that is not to say the story didn’t have its downsides.  At times, it nearly put me to sleep.  This does not discount the fact that I believe this book is one to treasure- it is just the truth of the matter for me.  I found that even the moments that were cloaked in mundanity were still described in remarkable detail, and the style of writing itself is enough to make you want to keep turning the pages.

This was my first Shirley Jackson, and it certainly won’t be my last.  The Blackwood clan is one bizarre, surreal group.  And something of a legend, which paints the story in a variety of enticing tones.  I do believe this work has served as an inspiration for many of the great dark stories crafted today, and that deserves utmost respect.