The Road Through the Wall (Shirley Jackson)

It seems Shirley Jackson's debut novel doesn't get much attention but it really does pack a punch. I went to high school in the town Shirley was inspired by (Burlingame) and found it intriguing that the late 1940s Burlingame translated easily to the early 2000s Burlingame I lived in. I found it funny that, at the time, our high school didn't seem to relish in the fact that a brilliant author used to learn and roam our halls. Perhaps the recent, renewed interest in her work has changed that.

There is a Flannery O'Connor feel to this one and the book is a must-read for Shirley Jackson enthusiasts and scholars alike. A very observant, prescient, and bold perspective on the prejudices and dark secrets lurking in an affluent suburb, written well before it became a familiar premise.