Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson

Rating:
Summary: THE UNIQUE SHIRLEY JACKSON
Review: The enigmatic Shirley Jackson was one of my favourite writers; she had a style uniquely hers and thrilled readers with "The Lottery" "The Haunting of Hill House" "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" and the hilarious "Live Among the Savages" Like me, she was a Sagittarius 5 (born December 14, 1916 in San Francisco) and there must be something to astronumerology because I feel like a kindred spirit towards Jackson in many ways! Author Oppenheimer gives us an interesting account of Jackson's sometimes lovely/sometimes tortured life and the biography is well-researched (except when she states the in THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE Eleanor runs her car into a wall instead of a TREE!) Interesting tidbits include Jackson's rather vainly foolish mother (Geraldine) who was more concerned with Jackson's appearance in photographs taken for magazine interviews than her undeniable talent. Jackson was an amateur white witch who kept cats and loved to mesmorize and be mesmorized; she was like a female version of Stephen King!