Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Book Review: Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" by Miles Hyman

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" by Miles Hyman


Miles Hyman is the grandson of Shirley Jackson, so I'm sure that getting the rights to make a graphic novel version of the story was not so difficult. He's worked for many years adapting novels and short stories into graphic novels but he didn't take this on for over thirty years. He finally came on a way to tell the story visually that would respect the story and leave him satisfied as well.

The story is intriguing and unsettling. A small town holds an annual lottery that people are not too enthusiastic about but they go through the motions. The blandness of their compliance is all the more shocking given the prize for winning the lottery. Hyman's "American Gothic" style gives his rendition a classic feel and just enough oddness to suit the story. The book reads quickly and delivers the same unsettling experience that the short story does.

Recommended.


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