Absolutely brilliant. In addition to giving the world shattering books of keen psychological insight into the secret, dark soul of humanity, Jackson was also a loving mother of four, and here provides us with a generous helping of her wit and humor in this collection of stories about her family, turning everyday mishaps and adventures into something more - I almost even want to have kids now after reading this book to see what kind of hilarity would ensue within our own lives. And then reread and laugh in the middle of the first paragraph, "This is the way of life my husband and I have fallen into, inadvertently, as though we had fallen into a well and decided that since there was no way out we might as well stay there and set up a chair and a desk and a light of some kind; even though this is our way of life, and the only one we know, it is occasionally bewildering, and perhaps even inexplicable to the sort of person who does not have that swift, accurate conviction that he is going to step on a broken celluloid doll in the dark. I cannot think of a preferable way of life, except one without children...."
Jackson wrote many of these stories originally for publication in such magazines as Good Housekeeping and Mademoiselle, while at the same time raising her four demons (er, children) largely alone and writing her longer works of fiction. It has been a long time since I have laughed out loud continuously throughout a book. Great work.
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