The Sundial (Penguin Classics)

I was expecting a genuinely eerie, other-worldly tale, and the early chapters depicted an off-balance, foreboding family atmosphere in the isolated mansion. But, with the frequent appearance of increasingly eccentric characters--whose actions verge on the ridiculous--I realized that Jackson was having some fun with this novel, mocking the conventions of the entire Gothic horror genre. Quite well-written, as drollery and farcical scenes abound--thereby diminishing suspense to the vanishing point. Thus, for me, only mildly diverting.

Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) is perhaps best known today as the author of “The Lottery,” a 1948 work regarded as among American Literature’s finest short stories. Written in 1958, THE SUNDIAL is essentially the story of a group of people living in a house that gradually cuts them off from the larger world—a general theme Jackson continues to develop in her later masterpieces THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (1959) and WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE (1962.) This particular group of people is the Halloran family, and the house in which they live is Halloran House, an oppressively elaborate estate on the outskirts of a drab village. The novel begins after the suspicious death of Lionel Halloran, when his mother Orianna takes control of the property. Orianna immediately decides that most of the family living in the house will be expelled—but not long after, elderly Aunt Fanny has a vision of her dead father, who constructed the house. He tells her that the world will shortly come to an end, and only those actually living in Halloran House will be spared.Although the family has a mixed reaction to Fanny’s vision, Orianna rescinds her eviction notices, and as the novel progresses she brings in four more women and another man to round out the survival party. The final group consists of nine women and three men, one man an invalid, the other two distinctly virile. Aunt Fanny’s visions of her late father continue, and through sessions of mirror-gazing the group becomes convinced that the end of the world is indeed at hand. As the date approaches, Orianna tightens her authority, making it clear that she, and only she, will rule over the survivors.Jackson always has a wicked sense of humor, and this novel presents it in a particularly extreme way: the way the characters interact and speak to each other is often jaw-dropping, and laughter is the only possible response. Jackson was also famous for creating tensions and then refusing to resolve them—readers are usually much more disturbed by what she implies than anything she actively describes—and THE SUNDIAL is no exception, a work that begins and ends with suspicious deaths that are never fully explained and which concludes in a very open-ended way. But in this instance, Jackson’s refusal to explain will exceed the tolerance of most readers. I think THE SUNDIAL is so open-ended that it will leave most readers with a sense of annoyance, with the feeling that Jackson has taken you upstairs and then suddenly left you there to find your way out on your own. If you’ve never read her works, begin with THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED AT THE CASTLE, and then, you are interested in their antecedents, back up to read THE SUNDIAL. But don’t begin with it.GFT, Amazon ReviewerIn Memory of Rick Amos

The broad theme in Shirley Jackson's work is this: Do we hide/run from the world, in seeming (but false) safety or do we face it and live in it. And she usually portrays the world as a scary, lonely place. In this book, those turning away from the world are members of this family/cult who believe that only they will be spared from the upcoming end-of-the world. She takes a harsh look at religion. The religious themes are hard to miss as is her criticism IMO (murder of the son, the golden crown, the manipulation and bribery, control -- because she gives these a human form they take on the light of horror, but these are all religious themes, Christian themes). Am I the only one who sees this as a 'farce about'/'indictment of' religion? So few here comment on this theme though it is so very obvious. The True Believers are another competing wacky cult and, of course, each cult thinks the other is nuts. Also religion wants nothing so much as annihilation. End times, death are glorified in most religions as a gateway to paradise for the faithful. Thus the characters in this book are waiting rather than living.... Because it is too scary to face the world or because their best days are gone and they look forward to this glorious eternity. They seek the protection of their "Father" -- and waste this life and wait for heaven/ the end. Even the blackmail and manipulation to stay in the fold and to "believe" is part of mainstream religious belief. One of their party decides to leave but faces some nastiness in the world (arranged by the Cult Leader) that brings her back. Another is coerced to stay. Either way, God is the ultimate Mafia Boss bribing us with eternity to love him even if it means giving up on the only world we really know exists. Fancy, the small child says it when she tells Gloria that we already have a beautiful world. Why do we want this one to end to go to one that won't be better. Fancy also points out that people want a new world so they can be different but she does not think it works that way (this I think harkens to the idea that we will be magically perfected in heaven). The book is also prophetic for our times when religious zealotry is harming us more than it has in recent history, at least recent Western history. Religion is insane and Jackson makes it clear here that it is-- or at least she suggests that it is and we are lead to our own conclusions. And yet most of us are so steeped in the craziness that it sees that we cannot even see her critique of belief in this wickedly funny little book. In the end, Fancy (whim/chance) rules not religion, not planning, not trying to stay safe. WHEN SHALL WE LIVE IF NOT NOW. Beautifully written, of course.

El libro llegó sin daños y de manera rápida. Sin embargo hay dos o tres paginas en mi edición con la tinta débil pero no hacen imposible su lectura.