lulu wilford’s Reviews > The Lottery and Other Stories > Status Update

The Villager:

I really appreciate how many of Jackson's stories are about women. There's a big emphasis on the expectations surrounding women following World War II and how that impacts her female characters in different ways.

Trial by Combat:
Pretty interesting look into the isolation experienced by many women in the 40s due to their absent husbands.

Like Mother Used to Make:
This story features a character that was present in the previous story. When I looked into it I found out that he makes appearances in multiple Jackson stories, which I find very cool.

Shirley Jackson is very skilled at inflicting unease and anxiety with her writing without needing any actual horror elements. This story is a great example of that.

"The Daemon Lover"
I thought I knew how this one was going to go due to some assumptions made based off the title. I was definitely not thinking creatively enough and by the time I got to the end I was really confused. After reading about this story, and the folk ballad it's based off, I've decided I really like it. It was a nice combination of mythology/folklore and commentary on societal expectations

Opening with "The Intoxicated", a short story about generational divisions, is very interesting and has me excited to read more!!