Edition Details
Format : Paperback
Page Count : 55
Publication: Penguin
ISBN : 9780241339282
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| The Missing Girl by Shirley Jackson |
Shirley Jackson was one author that i have always wanted to read. Horror is my favorite genre and
I have heard a lot about about her novel The Haunting of Hill house. But i didn’t want to start from it. I have heard and read so much about that novel now i have got huge expectations from it.And truthfully , I fear it would not hold to those.
However, i wanted to read some of her other works so that i could make myself familiar with her and then i saw this little book.
‘The Missing Girl’ is part of 50 books that have been published by Penguin in their Penguin Modern collection. It was kind of cheap at 54 rupees so i grabbed it. Most of Shirley Jackson’s work costs much more, so price was also a compelling factor.
Now, after having read it i must say i enjoyed reading it. The missing Girl is a collection of three stories by the author. The stories in this collection are:
1. The Missing girl 4/5
First Sentence:
She was humming,tunelessly,moving around somewhere in the room stirring things gently, and always humming.
Betsy used to share room with Martha Alexander in Phillip’s Educational Camp for girls. One night Martha told Betsy that she was going out and then never returned. Where had Martha gone? What did the camp do about it?
I loved reading this story. The author has managed to keep the suspense throughout the story and there are times when you doubt whether there has been a girl or not.
Most small towns are not equipped with dealing with something that is complex and it was visible here. Most of the times complex cases usually remain unsolved as the authorities tend to move on as they are strapped for resources or time. The scariest part of story was the decision that the authorities take in the story and i could very much believe that such things must happen somewhere or other.
The missing girl was my favourite one in this collection.
2. Journey With a Lady 3/5
First Sentence:
‘Honey’, Mrs Wilson said uneasily,’are you sure you’ll be alright?’
Joseph is a nine year old boy who’s going to travel to his grandfather’s place alone. Mrs Wilson, his mother, is worried about the train journey that Joseph has to take while his father seems to think that at nine one can travel alone. Joseph seems to agree with his father.
Anyways, what could happen in a train,right? He has his tickets,his comics and he knows where he has to deboard. Everything is hunky dory. Isn’t it?
But then the lady arrived, and Joseph doesn’t like it at all. Who was the woman and what was she doing here?
It was a fun story to read. I like to travel a lot and once in a while you get to see people who are characters in themselves and that’s what makes journey interesting. I liked the way the story progresses and how it ends.
The last line makes you think whether or not what the lady had said to Joseph was true or not. I mean i have often told kids in my family some weird stuff which they believed to be true for a long time and i was fun to see how they reacted. And i could see myself pulling such a prank over a kid.
3. Nightmare 2.5/5
First Sentence:
It was one of those spring mornings in March; the sky between the buildings was bright and blue and the city air, warmed by motors and a million breaths, had a freshness and a sense of excitement that can come only from a breeze starting somewhere in the country, far away, and moving into the city while everyone is asleep, to freshen the air for morning.
It was normal day for Miss Morgan but then her boss ,Mr Lang, asked her to run an errand for her. She was to drop off a packed at a particular address. But then something weird started happening and it scared Miss Morgan. What happened?
This was my least favourite of the collection. I felt the story was stretched too much and the ending also confused me.
I could feel the dread that Miss Morgan was feeling but then story kept stretching and stretching and after some time i lost interest in what Miss Morgan was going through. I guess if the story had been little bit shorter and ending more clear than i would have liked it more.
This was an enjoyable read for me. I’ve not read much of Shirley Jackson’s work but i think i’ll like them.She knows how to create suspense(The missing girl), she knows how to evoke that feeling of dread(Nightmare) and she can definitely weave a fun yarn(Journey with a lady). I look for these qualities in the author and she has them. I think i’ll be reading Haunting of the hill house very soon.
If you have read this collection then what did you feel about it? Do tell me in the comments.
If you want to get this collection, you can get it from the following link:
Paperback
