Shirley Jackson's The Lottery by Miles Hyman

I told someone just a few weeks ago that I could count on one hand the number of books I read in high school that I actually enjoyed. The Lottery was one of those. It's such a simple story with such an amazing twist that I didn't see coming. At least I didn't see it coming in my teens. Now that I'm a cynical adult, who knows? It's one of those things that if you don't read them at the right time, you miss the beauty of it.

This is the authorized graphic novel version, illustrated by the grandson of Shirley Jackson herself. The artwork kind of has that American Gothic feel to it, which helps give it the Anytown, USA atmosphere. It pares the story down to just a few bubbles of description and a few more of dialogue. It is truly a bare bones version.

I think that takes away a great part of the appeal of the original story. Jackson creates such an ominous feel to the story. You know something is up, although you aren't sure what, and you certainly don't expect THAT. But the ominous feeling is missing from this graphic novel. Without it, it becomes like that annoying friend you have that spills all the spoilers on your favorite movie or TV show. The last authorized graphic novel version of a novel I read seemed like it might actually encourage people to seek out the original. This gives away the goods, so why would anyone want to read the original?

It may be that I just don't like anyone messing with my favorites, but I'm just not entirely sure this was the right story of Shirley Jackson's to illustrate.

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