Pulp man's odyssey Book

An amazing and tragic woman who led an amazing and tragic life.

I have become a huge fan of Shirley Jackson, so much so, that I decided to read this, her only biography, and I am happy to say I was so not disappointed.

A philandering husband with a complacent if not accepting wife, witchcraft, voodoo, frequent and lively drunken parties, prescribed amphetamine and tranquilizer abuse, an overbearing and disapproving mother, weekend front-yard ballgames with J.D. Salinger and Ralph Ellison, a haunted old farmhouse, a brilliant and prolific writer and her brilliant albeit acerbic husband who share a deep and profound connection and mutual admiration, mental illness, a house filled with cats, dogs, and children, culminating in the all-too-soon death of a gifted mind, all this and more, for the most part, set in a small Vermont town abound with anti-Semitism.

Though it's not always easy to tell where fact ends and speculation begins in this very sensationalized recount of Shirley Jackson's life, I think anyone familiar with her work will connect with Judy Oppenheimer's portrayal of Shirley Jackson.

While there is some analysis of Jackson's writing and discussion of her writing habits, this isn't a book simply about Shirley the writer, but also about Shirley the woman, mother, and wife.

The bottom line: Shirley Jackson was a fascinating and complex person who lived a conventional life unconventionally, and left a wonderful legacy in the form of her writing, which likely served as a means to exorcise her many private demons. If even a fraction of this biography comes close to the reality of her life, I am even more wowed and impressed by her than I was before.

Would definitely recommend this to Shirley Jackson fans who are interested in the woman behind the writer and are willing to read it with a grain of salt, although, I'm not sure you have to be a fan to be drawn into this intensely captivating story of a life that ended way too soon.