Regardless, Hyman’s eloquent foreword, which will be reason alone for Jackson devotees to buy this book, reflects on his brief relationship with grandma Shirley, who died in her sleep when he was just three years of age. He’s certainly a capable talent in his own right. While some might appreciate the gesture of the descendent adapting his grandmother’s work, I fell that it did detract from Hyman’s own accomplishments as an artist, predominantly Archaia’s recent The Black Dahlia, a collaboration with David Fincher and French comics creator Matz.

The publisher’s press material makes much of the fact that Paris-based artist Miles Hyman is Jackson’s grandson. As the townspeople go about preparing for this annual event, the crescendo of which I won’t spoil, Jackson’s trademark underlying menace is revealed in their conversations regarding the practice, and what it would mean to give up their disturbing but time-honoured tradition. While Jackson’s sublime 1965 novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle has slowly earned its place as a cult classic, Jackson will likely remain best known for her 1948 short story The Lottery, a grim parable on ritualism and herd mentality that continues to whisper unspoken truths to modern readers.įor those unfamiliar with Jackson’s iconic tale, it follows the residents of a non-descript small town as they prepare for a ceremony known only as the “lottery”, in which each head of family must draw a slip of paper from a box. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Shirley Jackson’s birth, which has met with a much overdue resurgence of interest in her body of work.

The lottery novel