This collection of short stories, most of which take place in ordinary American settings, aptly demonstrates Jackson's penchant for suburban horror. As exemplified most clearly by "The Lottery," Jackson's vision of horror is not limited to haunted houses or exotic locations. On the contrary, horror is engendered in the mind, in the banal brutality of everyday individuals, who may be mothers, fathers, wives, and husbands. Unhappiness, sheer dissatisfaction with one's life, can lead to the blurring of reality and fantasy, and even madness. And in this madness, horror can come alive in the most mundane of settings and situations.
