The Bird's Nest

The Bird's Nest

by Shirley Jackson

(Edited) Blurb:

Elizabeth is a demure twenty-three-year-old wiling her life away at a dull museum job, living with her neurotic aunt, and subsisting off her dead mother's inheritance. When Elizabeth begins to suffer terrible migraines and backaches, her aunt takes her to the doctor, then to a psychiatrist.  The fabric of Elizabeth's reality unravels with terrifying speed, and it seems there may be no way to repair the damage and make her whole again. 

The Bird's Nest, Jackson's third novel, develops hallmarks of the horror master's most unsettling work: tormented heroines, riveting familial mysteries, and a disquieting vision inside the human mind.

My Reaction:

I edited the blurb slightly to avoid what may or may not be considered a spoiler.  I didn't read a blurb going in, and I certainly didn't know everything that this unedited blurb revealed, but maybe that's not a typical reading experience for this book...  In any case, if you want to avoid spoilers altogether, it's probably best not to read this or any other reviews-- though the plot element I'm referring to as a potential spoiler is integral to most of the book, so... Just giving you fair warning, if you want to go in with no preconceptions.  

As I mentioned, I didn't know what this book would be about, at all, and it came as a surprise when the central subject became apparent.  I feel like I've been unintentionally reading/consuming a lot of fiction, in the past half a year or so, with multiple personalities / dissociative identity disorder as a central subject.  Just an odd coincidence, I guess.  

Though I've read The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and a collection of her short stories, this is my first time reading one of Jackson's lesser-known novels.  It's clear why this isn't one of her most famous works.  It could use some tightening-up; it was at times needlessly repetitive, and the section set in NYC was over-long, in my opinion.  There were also a few times where I felt uncertain of the author's objective, and while that can be done intentionally, for effect, I don't believe that was always the case here.  There was a whole section about a "practical joke" that felt out of place, as well.  

On the other hand, there were several very unsettling moments, juxtaposed against others that were genuinely amusing, if at times rather dark humor.  Jackson even managed to pull her trick of writing something that feels uncomfortably familiar-- you know, those times when you recognize aspects of yourself in a character, though not always in a positive way.  While I found the ending a bit puzzling, I mostly enjoyed the way it was written.  It seemed to come out of nowhere.  I wasn't expecting something so evidently hopeful!  

(...Well, I found the ending hopeful, anyway.  From the reviews I've skimmed since finishing, not everyone agrees on that point.  I also feel sympathetic toward both Dr. Wright and Aunt Morgen-- both flawed characters, but human and essentially well-meaning.)

I wouldn't count on this novel's depiction of DID for accuracy; however, I'm not sure what I believe about DID, to begin with-- especially with the way that it's become almost "trendy" with some people today (mainly some bizarre and troubled people on TikTok, from what I've seen).  I guess maybe it's real in some cases, but I feel that it must be extremely rare, considering that it's supposed to result from particularly traumatic abuse suffered at a very young age.  Videos of people showing off their supposed "alters" seem false and a disgusting bid for attention.  

Anyway... I found this novel interesting in parts, but rather weak in others, and more slowly paced than I'd have liked.  You can see glimmers of Shirley Jackson's developing style, but it's not her at her best, and it certainly wasn't nearly so much "horror" as you might expect.  I wouldn't suggest reading this one until you've first enjoyed her more famous works.  

The Last House on Needless Street

The Last House on Needless Street

by Catriona Ward

Blurb:

This is the story of a serial killer.  A stolen child.  Revenge.  Death.  And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street.  You think you've read this story before.  That's where you're wrong.

In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried.  But it's not what you think...

My Reaction:

It's difficult to write a review/reaction for this novel without crossing into spoiler territory, and I'd rather not do that, so this will be brief.  

I found this an interesting and unique read and would recommend it to readers looking for something different from the usual.  It's not your typical crime or mystery novel, and if you're anything like me, you won't be completely sure what's happening through much of the book.  You'll form hypotheses, and some of them might even be correct or partly right, but I doubt you'll have it all figured out until near the very end.  If you like books that keep you guessing and make you question what's real and what's not, this would be a good choice.  (There are answers, by the way.  I wouldn't be happy with it, otherwise!)

Overall?  Less scary than sad.  More mystery-thriller than horror-thriller.  Makes you SO angry at times, but then you're forced to re-evaluate (and it's not necessarily pleasant to have everything turned upside-down in that way!).  Makes you think.  At some points, you'll be confused, but it all comes together, eventually.  There are some coincidences that feel contrived, quite a bit of possibly annoying misdirection or "unreliability", too... But overall, its strengths are greater than its flaws.

Ok, I can't resist mentioning just a few things that annoyed me.  

Some. 

Of. 

Them. 

Are.

SPOILERS.

Ok, here we go.  

--There are a few British turns of phrase that feel out of place in a novel set in the US and told from American perspectives.  

--I can't accept that Dee brought a hammer to kill snakes with.  That's insane.  Use a hoe, woman!!  

--Then she manages to kill a rattlesnake with said hammer.  (Yeah, right.  That happened, as they say...)  

--And THEN, this woman who has suffered from a snake phobia for all of her adult life, picks up the dead snake to keep as a trophy and have it made into a belt, or something.  Excuse me, what?!  I don't have a clinical phobia of snakes-- just a very healthy fear of the venomous ones-- and I couldn't bear to bring myself to touch a dead venomous snake with my skin.  No way on Earth.  The few times I've had to dispose of one, I've picked it up with a shovel.  I simply couldn't imagine picking it up in my hand, even with gloves on.  Not happening.  So, no, I can't accept that someone who has a snake phobia would do that, either, even if she didn't know that snake heads can still "bite" (due to reflexes) for a while after the snake has been killed.  It's impossible to even contemplate.  Why would she?  

...But aside from a few things like that, a good read!  I'm still not sure what I think about the subject at the heart of the book.  I think it might be too complicated to ever fully comprehend.  Maybe something that has to be experienced to be understood.  

The Gift of Fear

The Gift of Fear

by Gavin de Becker

Blurb:

TRUE FEAR IS A GIFT. UNWARRANTED FEAR IS A CURSE. LEARN HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE. A date won't take "no" for an answer. The new nanny gives a mother an uneasy feeling. A stranger in a deserted parking lot offers unsolicited help. The threat of violence surrounds us every day. But we can protect ourselves, by learning to trust-- and act on-- our gut instinct.

In this empowering audiobook, Gavin de Becker shows you how to spot even subtle signs of danger-- before it's too late. Shattering the myth that most violent acts are unpredictable, de Becker, whose clients include top Hollywood stars and government agencies, offers specific ways to protect yourself and those you love, including... how to act when approached by a stranger... when you should fear someone close to you... what to do if you are being stalked... how to uncover the source of anonymous threats or phone calls... the biggest mistake you can make with a threatening person... and more. Learn to spot the danger signals others miss. It might just save your life.

My Reaction:

I kept seeing this book being mentioned, and I became curious.  I listened to the audiobook version, which probably increases the chances that I'll actually finish a work of nonfiction, but also means I might not be paying full attention the whole time I'm "listening".  My retention suffers when I only listen, too.  But hey, at least I gave it a try.  

Parts of the book are interesting and potentially helpful, but there's also a lot of repetition, less useful information, and statements that awoke my inner skeptic.  The author is only human, and I don't agree with him on a few points.  (He doesn't seem to believe that guns can be useful for self-defense, for instance. I know that's wrong.  Sometimes the only way to survive violence is to have a weapon of your own.  By all means, don't buy a gun if you don't want to, but there's nothing wrong with someone else wanting a gun for self-protection, so long as they are responsible, practice gun safety, and keep it out of the hands of children.) 

Some of the information feels a little outdated, which is not surprising, considering that it was published in the late 90s.  Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in the past twenty years, and the Internet and social media have opened up new risks and areas of concern.

The section about assassination and celebrity stalkers is not relevant to the average person, and it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.  It does seem that the author chose to write about it because it interests him, since it's his job and allows him to mingle with famous people.  I disagree with his attitude that assassinations are the most important crimes in the world.  Sure, the course of history will most likely be affected more by the murder of a world leader than by the murder of an ordinary person, but personally, I care much more deeply about "everyday crime" than assassinations.  Besides, how likely am I to ever need to know about assassins or celebrity stalkers?  It's not something I need to think about or waste my energy on-- because it doesn't interest me, as an average, everyday person.

I think I was expecting more practical, real-world advice on how to identify danger and react to it in specific situations.  Instead, this book's message is mostly just "trust your instinct", or your gut, or whatever you want to call it (but don't worry, because that's bad...).  I already try to do that, and I think I have decent survival instincts, so... I'm not sure how much I learned.  

One thing that I'll try to remember from this book is the fairly boring advice to "simply" ignore someone who is an annoyance but not an active threat.  It's something we've all heard before.  Your little brother is pestering you?  Ignore him.  He'll soon get bored and go away.  The same holds true for adults, according to this author.  If someone is "refusing to let go" (pestering, making a nuisance of themselves, not picking up on hints to leave you alone), give them one clear message that you are not interested.  Don't phrase it to encourage hope that it's a temporary  or conditional refusal, but avoid being insulting.  Leave them their dignity to avoid provoking them into aggression.  After that clear, uncompromising message, stop engaging.  Some people crave attention in any form, and if they can't get positive attention, they're satisfied with negative attention.  Ignoring them is like robbing a fire of oxygen.  It's the fastest way to quell the flames.  It sounds easier said then done, but it's probably a wise strategy.