The Bird's Nest: This is the story of a woman who embodies in her intense life the mystery of the human personality. [The author] has used her sense of horror, her wit and her truly marvelous ability to characterize, to create Elizabeth. . . so that she becomes one of the unique figures of literature. . . A relatively scarce novel about a young woman with multiple personalities, employing Jackson's gift for the type of horror that doesn't require goblins under the bed. The Road Through the Wall: Shirley Jackson's first novel tells the tale of Pepper Street and its houses and families. The wall surrounding an estate is torn down to make a road and this single action creates a most memorable drama for many of the people affected by this simple act. An excellent beginning for one of the most important authors of the second half of the 20th century.