The Sundial by Shirley Jackson

Format: Audio (BorrowBox)
Read: November 2026

I had never heard of Shirley Jackson until I read a piece about her in the London Review of Books, and at the time I just tucked her name away in the back of my mind as someone who sounded interesting! American novels and especially horror haven’t been my thing, so she’d escaped my sphere of interest. Then I was having an October scroll through horror audiobooks available in BorrowBox box, and there was this one, so I thought, why not (while still waiting for Catching Fire to be available!).

WHAT IS THIS WORLD?

(inscription on the sundial)

OMG! What a delight! We start with the funeral for a man whose own mother – Oriana Halloran – most probably pushed him down the stairs because she wanted the big house?! And everyone is so casual about it. Post-funeral, Oriana announces everyone must have the mansion – now her mansion – except for her ailing elderly husband, her granddaughter, Fancy and her sister-in-law, Aunt Fanny, who she will graciously not begrudge her childhood home.

However, not long after, Aunt Fanny becomes mysteriously lost in the garden and has a vision of her father prophesying the end of the world, promising that only the people within the great house will be spared and survive to enjoy the glorious new world. She relays this to the others, who then see themselves as a vision of a snake and thus take that as proof.

What follows is a hilariously satirical tale of a group of wealthy idiots preparing for the end of the world by filling the house with luxury goods. It struck me as a uniquely American reaction; they are so willing to unquestionably believe that they are the chosen ones. Wasn’t the big house and all the Halloran’s money proof that they’re better than everyone else? Especially better than the villagers, whom young Fancy isn’t allowed to play with.

The other characters include Maryjane Halloran, Fancy’s mother and recent widow; Miss Oglivie, Fancy’s governess; and Essex, a handsome young man employed to “catalogue the library” who is heavily implied to be Oriana’s kept man. They’re joined by Mrs Willow and her two adult daughters, Julia and Arabella. They’re old friends of Oriana and transparently out to get their hands on some of her money. Later, a distant young relative of Oriana, Gloria, who has been sent to stay by her father, unexpectedly arrives; and then finally just a random (slightly sketchy) bloke Aunt Fanny met in the village and named ‘Captain Scarabombardon.’

The more they become invested in the end of the world, the funnier the book gets. The choices they make for what to keep and what to jettison for the storage space are unhinged, especially given the huge mansion full of empty rooms. There is a scene where they meet another doomsday cult that had me cackling! I also loved the way it ended.

The characters were brilliant, all of them unpleasant and self-centred in their own way! They all monologue without ever really listening to or hearing anybody else.  You would rather die in the apocalypse than be stuck with them (except maybe Miss Oglivie seems alright)! I especially loved Essex, Mrs Willow and Fancy, that little ten-year-old psycho. I enjoyed the power struggle between Oriana and Aunt Fanny; the latter never really stood a chance under her sister-in-law’s force of personality.

I will definitely be reading some more Shirley Jackson!

For Law of Fives, this is a Gothic Horror novel, even if it is satirical!