The Beautiful Stranger by Shirley Jackson: A Book Review
Genre: Surreal Thriller
Just as always, Jackson weaves a wonderful tale, short and sweet. The Beautiful Stranger lasts 8 pages. With the little description Jackson gives, though, what makes the read so fantastic is how it seems like the woman had lost her mind and yet make the reader question their belief that she is. One of her unpublished pieces, it is believed she had written the work around 1946.
Going into the story, I assumed that the stranger being talked about would be Jackson’s version of a vampire and I was not expecting so much of his presence throughout the story, thinking that once or twice the main character glimpses this being before ultimately dying at his hand. I was gladly mistaken though as the stranger is just a regular person.
Writing this review, I find that I cannot really describe the story. All I can do is suggest to read it and I highly recommend that you do.
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Editor: 10/10
Total: 40/40
Title: Shirley Jackson: Novels and Stories
Author: Shirley Jackson Editor: Joyce Carol Oates
Edition: Literary Classics
Published: 2010
Publisher: Library of America
ISBN: 9781598530728
If you want to get it: Amazon; Barnes&Noble
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