Hilarious subversive sharp without being lethal and loving without an ounce of sentiment Shirley Jacksons moreorless autobiographical account of life as a mother of four and faculty wife and brilliant writer is an eternal comic joy Amy BloomOur new house was waiting for us eager expectant and emptyShirley Jackson skewered the trials of domestic life in 1950s America with wry wit and uncanny precision. In this sequel to Life Among the Savages her four offspring have now grown into fullyfledged demons. As their house starts to burst at the seams the Jackson clan somehow manage without really planning it to move into a larger home only to take the chaos absent furniture vanishing children misbehaving refrigerators an avalanche of books right along with them.