The Lottery and Other Stories

By Shirley Jackson and A.M. Homes

One of the most terrifying stories of the twentieth century, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” created a sensation when it was first published in The New Yorker in 1948.

"Power and haunting," and "nights of unrest" were typical reader responses. Today it is considered a classic work of short fiction, a story remarkable for its combination of subtle suspense and pitch-perfect descriptions of both the chilling and the mundane.

The Lottery and Other Stories, the only one to appear during Shirley Jackson's lifetime, unites "The Lottery" with twenty-four equally unusual short stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable range -- from the hilarious to the horrible, the unsettling to the ominous -- and her power as a storyteller.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Mar 16, 2005
• ISBN: 9781429957847

Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson (1916–1965) is a towering figure in twentieth-century gothic fiction. She is the author of many books and short stories, including The Haunting of Hill House, Hangsaman, Life Among the Savages, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and “The Lottery,” which is considered to be her masterpiece."

Reviews for The Lottery and Other Stories

[feleciak-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The LotterySubtle/Eerie mix4.5 starsPositioned in the center of town an annual (June 27th) lottery is held. Everyone has to attend. Each person takes a slip of paper from a black box. The person with a marked paper is the recipient of a rather unorthodox prize. The cheeriness and tone of the book doesn't prepare the reader for its epic ending.

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

5546. The Lottery and Other Stories, by Shirley Jackson (read 25 Mar 2018) When I read the biography of Shirley Jackson by Ruth Franklin I decided I should read The :Lottery again--I read it years ago--since it was such an important factor in the author's life. This book has 24 other short stories included so I read them all, even though I do not like to read lots of short stories in a book since one keeps starting over so many times in the course of reading the book. This book has The Lottery as the last story in the book. I found the stories of uneven merit. Probably the best ones I guess were "The Daemon Lover" , "Trial by Combat", and "Charles", but of course the most sensational story is "The Lottery". I had sort of thought it was laid colonial,like the witch trials, but the story talks of tractors and is laid in present time--which makes it highly unlikely,of course. The matter-of-factness of the town people is striking and chilling. It is less than 12 pages long and if you have not read it, you should as it is a good illustration of Shirley Jackson and her unusual mind and ability..

[lndlindsey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love the main story. It still has the same impact for me that it had in high school. Human nature is frightening.

None of the rest of the stories grabbed my interest.

[mrgan-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well I feel like a complete ass for not reading beyond The Lottery until now.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a volume of Shirley Jackson Short stories, someone who defined American Gothic style of writing. Its not something I understood until reading this book, but now I get - its the uneasiness/wrongness of living a very normal life. Its the friction of being who you are vs conforming to society expectation, and its a difficult thing to define as a style.As for the stories, as in any short story collection, some will be better than others. The stand out story is, of course, "The Lottery", which is the last story in the collection. I read it in high school for class, but didn't get the emotional undertones, or the hypocritical, I'll go along with the system and until it focuses on me...Of course, there are other stories in the volume. I think my second favorite is the "Flower Garden", this is a story of a woman who married into a large family, pillars of the town. When she makes a friend with a widow who hired a black man to help in the garden, she finds herself getting ostracized by the town folk. So, she needs to decide - stay with society, or stay with her new friend....There are 26 stories in this volume, and all of them have a feeling of being off somehow.... Anyway, its a volume of stories I will be revisiting.

[madam_razz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It can be so hard, sometimes, to really give a proper review for an anthology, since there are so many different stories them to talk about. But, once again, Shirley Jackson doesn't disappoint. Every story here, including the very short ones, tend to all leave you thinking by the end, and I'm not a bit sorry that I spent a little over nine hours listening to them in all. Great stories and definitely worth a look for anyone who has liked other works by Shirley Jackson or just tends to like thought-provoking stories that don't always end happily.

[rockhead515-580421 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a big fan of short stories, because they're generally too short, but came across 'The Lottery' when mentioned in 'Strangers At The Feast' by Jennifer Vanderbes.
Interesting within the context of SATF, but otherwise left far too many unanswered questions for me.
I found 'The Lottery' online and did not read any other stories in this edition.

[charrlygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars!

It's no secret that I love Shirley Jackson. I have been known to engage reviewers about what I consider to be less than awesome ratings for The Haunting of Hill House and/or We Have Always Lived in the Castle. One of the things I'm always honest about is books, and despite the fact that this book was written by Shirley, I wasn't crazy about it.

I was aware going in that this was not a collection of horror tales, though certainly, some of them are horrific. Even so, I didn't find a point to a lot of these tales. I liken them to someone peeking into the window of a normal American family-it's mostly boring. One or two of them (The Tooth, for sure), were just plain weird.

However, a few of these tales have serious subjects without seeming to-a few of them are outright diatribes on racism-without stating the word and without personal commentary. The fact that some of these families were so racist and didn't even realize it was commentary enough. I also found that a few stories seemed to be about the place of women in society, which was quite different in the 40s as compared to now. Lastly, a few of these stories were horror, in my opinion, The Lottery the most well known and the most horrific.

There is a whole 'nother thing going on with James Harris, a character that is featured in some of these stories. There's some talk in blogging communities about who he is, exactly, and what his presence symbolized. I don't pretend to have a complete handle on the whole thing, but it deserves a mention.

Overall, this was a well written collection, (from Shirley Jackson we would expect no less), but I found it to be slightly confusing at times and overall, I was not completely satisfied with this collection.

[elizabeth_foster-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly grown.

A number of these short stories start off in this vein, painting an idyllic existence, before reality intrudes. Some highlight racism, others address self identity, or casual cruelty. The worst crime is left to last in the most famous story, The Lottery. If you've read the stories leading up to it, it is merely a continuation of the critique of a rigid, unthinking society. In the context of the time in which they were written these stories must have been akin to subversive acts. Many reveal unpalatable truths hidden under constricting social constructs – especially those in place for women. I remember reading how the author (trapped in an unhappy marriage) didn’t much enjoy writing such tales and wanted to work on happier ones. Sadly she died before she got the chance. Fearless and honest writing.

[datrappert · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I listed to the audio book version, so first let me say that the narrators deserve five stars. They are all great, with wonderful voices able to bring distinct sounds to various characters.But, as for the stories themselves, I was surprisingly disappointed. I'm a huge fan of The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. And I first was read "The Lottery" in Junior High School and it was an unforgettable experience, certainly one of the best short stories in the English language. Of Jackson's other short stories, "The Summer People" (not in this collection) is also a classic. This collection does feature the oft-anthologized "Charles" -- which is quite good in a much less horrific manner. But as for the other stories in the collection, they become tiring, especially when taken one after the other. The lead characters are a collection of timid men and (mostly) women who are either afraid of just about everything or almost totally incapable of asserting themselves. Reading about Jackson's own struggles and phobias, this makes more sense, but it doesn't make it all that much fun or all that interesting. The stories are also dated in a way that many older short stories aren't. The settings are well done, but the attitudes and subject matter place these stories in a time that seems centuries removed from our own day. This is not to say that the subject matter of many of these stories, whether it be the stereotyped women's roles of the mid-20th century or the prevalent racism of that time, aren't still around to a larger extent than we like to admit, but rather that Jackson's treatment of them holds no surprises. There is good observation here, but no hint that anything can or will change. The nadir of the book for me was when a wife on vacation with her husband in New York City finds herself unable to even cross the street. Light change after light change is described in excruciating detail. It was all too much. But it's over now. Thank God.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story collection was altogether too disquieting for me and I couldn't finish it. Jackson is a master of getting under your skin. The title story I have read several times and consider to be a masterpiece.

[laugal-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The ending was surprising! Great,quick read. This story makes you think!

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I have to explain the plot to anyone. In one sentence: it is the short story of a community that annually choses someone to stone to death. I had so many questions as a teenager reading The Lottery in high school. Who was the third person narrator and why do they never express emotion or share the thoughts and feelings of other characters? It's as if the scene they describe is too horrible for humanity and they purposely keep their distance by staying out of the other characters' heads. As a result, the dialogue has to be heavy and masterful enough to carry the action. Otherwise, no one would understand what is truly going on. The other questions I had: Who was Mr. Summers and why does he get to conduct the lottery? Who came up with the black box in the first place? If everyone avoids the black box and keeps their distance from it, why have it around at all? No one wanted to help Mr. Summers even move it. Did this community continue using the box just because of tradition? Lastly, how does Jackson as a young mother come up with something like this?

[write5review · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ordinary Life Is Often Scary

If you are a reader of short fiction and are looking for an anthology to dip into from time to time, you should consider adding Shirley Jackson’s only published collection, featuring her most famous short story, “The Lottery.”

This collection contains stories that appeared in a variety of publications during the 1940s, among them The New Yorker, Mademoiselle, and The American Mercury. Jackson’s stories concern the everyday lives of mostly women, many married, some single, in small towns and suburbs. In many, you’ll find an undercurrent of pending doom and loneliness, as in “The Daemon Lover” and “Trial by Combat.” Others deal with common insecurities. A few, specifically “Flower Garden” and “After You, My Dear Alphonse,” address the racial prejudices of the times, though readers will recognize that these remain with us to this day. Some are just cute sketches that will amuse you, such as “Charles” and “My Life with R. H. Macy.” Jackson wrote with simplicity and great subtlety. She was a writer able to capture the underlying tension and this suffuses all of her work.

If you would like a more complete collection of Jackson’s short fiction, including all contained in this volume, as well as uncollected short fiction, and her two best known novels, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, you’ll do no better than Shirley Jackson: Novels and Stories, published by the Library of America and edited by Joyce Carol Oates.

[chrisblocker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Lottery and Other Stories is an uneven collection. If you've read any of my reviews about a collection of short stories, you've probably heard this before. “Uneven” sums up my feelings for every short story collection I've ever read. There are different levels of uneven, but it's only natural that some stories will resonate powerfully and others will simply be okay. Consistent writing is not an easy task for a writer of short stories, anymore than it is for a novelist. Creative ventures in any medium are going to fluctuate and people will have differing opinions about them (personally, I loved The Casual Vacancy).The “problem” with this collection is that it's unevenness is on fully display. This is like watching a team of all-stars face off against a team of one superstar and a bunch of novices who barely know the rules of the game. This is like watching a bulky grown man on a teeter-totter with a toddler, adorable, but not carrying her weight. This is a collection of some of Jackson's best stories opposite of some that you could say are lacking (with “The Lottery” thrown in at the end). Keep in mind, that when I say these stories are “lacking,” some are quite alright. It's Shirley Jackson, so there's no such thing as a horrendous story. But her greatest moments of insight, development, and storytelling are there at the beginning to entice the reader. And her most famous story, “The Lottery,” is at the end to keep a reader going. Personally, were I to compile such a collection, I'd mix it up. Otherwise, a reader is given false hopes for an amazing second half and what follows is grueling. Throw in some of the less wonderful stories between great stories and the reader will be more forgiving, if they notice at all. And so this collection ends on a low note (especially if you've already read “The Lottery” several times before).Jackson is most famous for her paranormal tales that explore dark aspects of human nature. The majority of the tales in The Lottery... contain no elements of horror or oddity, but they do largely explore human nature. I have previously read two of Jackson's more famous novels, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House, but what really struck me about this collection is how deeply Jackson delved into the psychology of her characters. She was a wonderful explorer of what drives the human brain and how we react to changes in our environment. Though many of the stories in this collection lack a significant plot, always the story moves because of the actions and reactions of the characters.Although I do wish The Lottery and Other Stories had been structured differently, it is still a collection of the highest caliber. Readers looking for stories with highly-engaging plots will likely grow bored with Jackson, in general; for those hoping for great characters and character development, Jackson is a treat. Already, I am eager to read more of her great work.

[marsap_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This collection of short stories by author Shirley Jackson's, unites her well known story "The Lottery:" with twenty-four other stories. Though Jackson is probably best known for her horror novels, this set of stories are not really of the horror genre—though some of the characters are quite horrifying. Though I really loved the Lottery, I found most of the stories less than engaging, odd or weird (The Tooth) or difficult to understand the point. Some almost felt like the start of an idea that faded into nothing. The other thing that seemed to run through many of the stories is how perfectly “normal” people and can be quite monstrous (The Lottery, The Witch, The Renegade). A few of them are comments on racism, sexism, elitism-without stating the words and without personal commentary (After you My Dear Alphonse, Flower Garden, Come Dance with me in Ireland). The material is well written, but if one is looking for something to read by Shirley Jackson, I would recommend We Have Always Lived in the Castle, rather than this collection of stories. 3 out of 5 stars.

[sphawkins · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review: The LotteryShirley Jackson222 PagesCollection of Short StoriesStory Diversity: standard—there are long stories and two-stories; there are poems, and stories that deal with various issues. But there’s little character diversity or setting diversity; the only story that really stands out is the Lottery, which is the single item this book is most praised for.Vocabulary: standard; the word choice is great, but I rarely encountered one of those ‘out-there’ words. The writing, as I would describe it, is flavorful, but certainly nothing unique.Twists: nearly all the stories feature twists, but these aren’t the type that make your jaw drop. With the exception of the Lottery’s they’re very subtle twists that sometimes go unexplained.Strengths: the short story, The Lottery—without a doubt, brilliantly written; dialogue is well written (surprising, since I read the Haunting of Hill House before this); while the same set of characters might have been used throughout just a different names, they were still well written.Weaknesses: lots of the short stories are underwhelming and don’t leave much of an impressionBottom Line: you either like Shirley Jackson’s work or you don’t. I didn’t care for the Haunting on Hill House, but I thought I’d try the Lottery to see if there were any differences. The only stand-out difference was the vast improvement in dialogue. Personally, I think she receives a lot of hype, but her work doesn’t deliver. With the exception of the Lottery (I can’t repeat it enough: read this story) I find her that her work isn’t scary or creepy or anything that her reviewers say. In fact, I find a lot of her work to be—while not exactly unimaginative—a bit dull. Simply put, it was an underwhelming experience to read this book.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very much like many of the other reviewers, I was very familiar with Shirley Jackson through her very good We Have Always Lived In The Castle and her absolute masterpiece, The Haunting of Hill House. And, of course, I'd heard the stories about The Lottery, about how it raised a furor when it first saw publication.

So, I was really looking forward to seeing the other side of Jackson, her short story work.

Unfortunately, most of it left me cold. Yes, there were underlying, subtle themes of judgement, of racism and unfair persecution. But there were also a remarkable number--I would go so far as to say the vast majority--that really came across as more slices of life, or glimpses into an almost random moment. They seemed to have no beginning, no end and, most distressingly, no point.

They probably did, and I'm likely too dense to get what that point was, but that in itself didn't help me. I felt like I was being given information that was far over my head that I simply couldn't grasp.

Regardless, there were stories peppered here and there throughout the collection that I enjoyed, and Jackson's narrative style is almost hypnotic in how it can draw me in, making the most banal details interesting.

This in no way diminishes my respect for Jackson, but I feel her strength was definitely in the longer form, where both the atmosphere and the point of the story both revealed themselves slowly, but steadily.

[jphamilton-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Last night I was back to being a flopping fish, hooked, but with no sleep in sight. The real killer was that I just couldn’t find a book that worked for me. Then, this morning, I reach into one of my book stacks and pulled out a gem. It was an older book, The Lottery and Other Stories, which carries a 1948 copyright. Many recognize Shirley Jackson as a master of the short story, and her story, "The Lottery," which concludes this collection, is held up by many as one of the very best short stories ever published. That last story is a masterclass in misdirection. Besides all the great stories, this edition also has the additional plus of having a fine introduction by a favorite writer of mine, A.M. Homes. The introduction started with this telling line. “The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable.“ You would think that these stories would feel somewhat dated, but they still work so well. Sure, if you want, you can find signs of another time, but the stories have so much life to them, who would want to slow down and distract oneself by searching for something like that? Jackson’s stories are many times haunted by the obvious and the hidden. She does such a good job of completely terrifying her readers, as well as giving them page after page of unease and worry. Her stories so often deal with the everyday, but terror loves the backdrop of the everyday. I love this line from Jonathan Lethem about her writing. “Shirley Jackson wrote about the mundane evils hidden in everyday life and about the warring and subsuming of selves in a family, a community and sometimes even in a single mind.” Writing about “The Lottery,” Christopher Morley wrote the following. “A great story, like a great vintage, throws a crust of sediment which may destroy the bouquet and cause ulcers later. If you don’t feel the tweak of ulcers, you haven’t read this story.”I feel like I’m in a reader’s hog heaven, having read two stellar books in a row, with Jackson’s book following Chris Cander’s spectacular novel, 11 Stories. I’m purposely not finishing the Jackson book right now, so I won’t be flopping and gasping later tonight without a good book. I always have a rough time preemptively “pre-picking” (like “pre-boarding” and my pet peeve from home shows, “pre-drilling” a hole—and why isn’t that followed by “re-drilling” a hole?), as my mood can be ever changing and shifting. And now, I’ve foolishly created the image of being a flopping, gasping, dying fish in the dark of night without a good book in hand … or fin? For all you other addicted readers out there, don’t let that image haunt your thoughts. But, do read Shirley Jackson for a whole world of disturbing and amazing images that will live on in your mind. And, as A.M. Homes reminds us, “Jackson writes with a stunning simplicity; there is a graceful economy to her prose as she charts the smallest movements, perceptual shifts—nothing pyrotechnic here. Her stories take place in small towns, in kitchens, at cocktail parties.” These twenty-six stories are excellent antidotes to the flopping and gasping brought on by having nothing good to read, but I make no promises that you won’t be flopping and gasping from where her stories take you. The world of the reader has many perils and pleasure … sometimes they are the same.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shirley Jackson's highly provocative short story "The Lottery" is just one example of her ability to evoke the bizarre, strange, or sad in the human condition. Like every short story collection, not all in this are winners, but several are thought-provoking and deserving of more fame. I highly recommend "The Daemon Lover," "Flower Garden," "The Dummy," and "Pillar of Salt." And obviously, "The Lottery." My students were *furious* with me for assigning it, because it messed with their minds. I enjoyed that day's class discussion thoroughly, I must admit.

[sami7-951065 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A perfect collection of short stories. Among the collection my favourites are:
- After You, My Dear Alphonse (Social norms take time to change even for good people)
- Flower Garden (how racism creep in and take hold of people)
- Colloquy (short, sweet and I consider it lighthearted)

[scolgo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jackson's writing makes me queasy. In these stories, she repeatedly presents seemingly ordinary people in seemingly ordinary environments. She then introduces some otherness, some thing that is just not quite right. It might be a slight shift of perspective or a wave of dread that approaches inexorably, like a tsunamu might. As each story progresses, this feeling of tense wrongness builds until you feel like screaming. Or throwing up, maybe.For me, there were several standouts in this collection. The Daemon Lover, Trial by Combat, The Renegade, The Dummy, and Men With Their Big Shoes'. One other standout really reminded me of another classic short story; Pillar of Salt, brought to mind The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins. That same whiff of something being off. That same subtle shift from apparent normalcy to a squicky feeling of wrongness - and then that same scrabbling slide into full-blown lunacy. Chilling.This is a very good collection. I really want to read The Haunting of Hill House now - but I think I'll save it for next October.

[govmarley-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of short stories that run the spectrum of emotions for me, but this review is about "The Lottery". I have read this 3 different times in my life, and knowing the ending doesn't make it any easier to read. This story is about tradition, and what can happen when people blindly follow what has been done in the past without stopping to question why we do the things we do. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I feel this story is an absolute "must read" for everyone. It will spark deep discussion, and it will change your perspective.

I need to go cry in a corner now and be depressed for the remainder of the day. Well played, Ms. Jackson, well played. This story left an imprint on my psyche and I will be thinking about it for days.

[marlene9nl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such a fantastic short story. I remember reading this as a teenager and it had so much impact. Reading it now it still has not lost its power.
So strong. Highly recommend

[melanti_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some are excellent, others just baffled me. There's a wide variety of stories here.

[carlahaunted · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just as dizzingly breathtaking the second time 'round.

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of short stories, all rather grim. The Daemon Lover is James Harris in the story of that name, but he reappears in most of the later stories as different people of the same name. While Jackson is sometimes thought of as a horror writer because of ‘The Lottery’ and the novel ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, these stories do not have any supernatural elements to them – ‘The Lottery’, while rather horrific, is about human weirdness. Some of them *do* venture into the odd, however. These stories are about the quiet nastiness that humans inflict on each other every day- racism, snobbery, classism, alienation, sexism (especially sexism) and everyday cruelty fill this book. The characters are the kind of people we meet every day; there are no heroes or outright villains- but even the stories where nothing is overtly happening are filled with tension. These stories were written in the 1940s, so it may be hard for readers to feel the stories are realistic depictions of everyday life. Thankfully, some of the assumptions made back then have fallen by the wayside, at least in most of the US. But despite the 40s settings, many of the stories remain pertinent. This is literary fiction, but literary fiction that may make the reader feel uncomfortable.

[bluepigeon-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great collection of short stories of Shirley Jackson. I had never read The Lottery, and I can see why it was a big deal when it was first published. Though, today, reading The Lottery and some of the other strange stories in this collection, one would not be as shocked, After all, this is the post-Twilight-Zone, post-Hunger Games 21st century. In fact, right at the very beginning of the story, maybe even in the first paragraph, I knew exactly what was going to happen, just what this "lottery" would be about. Nevertheless, Jackson is a great story teller, and the anticipation she builds in this and many other stories is just perfect. Many of the stories are about new brides, new homes, city folk trying to fit among the "friendly" country folk in rural America, status-conscious Americans being neighborly to each other, and country folk visiting the big city.Thus, race, class, socio-economic standing are constantly in the forefront. And of course, tradition.

[yona-414000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed at what literature has to offer. And I know I've only just scratched the surface. This is the second collection of short stories I've read and they each had a similar affect and gave me a similar impression. I sit there at the end of each story just stunned at the affect and wondering exactly why. It's a new experience to read stories where the story doesn't seem to be as important as something else that's not immediately identifiable - the impression. At the end of so many of them it feels like I'm experiencing a painting. Like what takes place in the story are the brush strokes. Each stroke by itself doesn't seem to have much meaning until you see the end result and sit there in awe and wondering how it happened. Some seem like an intense form of character exposition where you see into the character's soul and that insight is an end in and of itself - is the whole point of the work. I'm sure other short stories will take other forms but this particular form has been very interesting and enjoyable - and strange. I like it.

[srboone · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These stories fit nicely together. Effectiveness is inconsistent, but the overall feeling of dread is quite delicious.