The Road Through the Wall

By Shirley Jackson

Book Overview

The compelling novel that began Shirley Jackson's legendary career Pepper Street is a really nice, safe California neighborhood. The houses are tidy and the lawns are neatly mowed. Of course, the country club is close by, and lots of pleasant folks live there. The only problem is they knocked down the wall at the end of the street to make way for a road to a new housing development. Now, that's not good--it's just not good at all. Satirically exploring what happens when a smug suburban neighborhood is breached by awful, unavoidable truths, The Road Through the Wall is the tale that launched Shirley Jackson's heralded career. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143107054
• ISBN13: 9780143107057
• Release Date: June 2013
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Dark Truths Beneath Suburban Dreams

Shirley Jackson’s “The Road Through the Wall”, written in the 1940s but set in the 1930s, is a brilliant and unsettling exploration of the darkness beneath the American dream. In a suburban neighborhood where lawns are pristine and children are adored, Jackson masterfully reveals the tension between outward appearances and hidden truths. Beneath the veneer of social concern and community lies a tangle of ambition, jealousy, and selfishness. The story exposes how, despite our care for others, we often prioritize our own desires. What struck me most was how timeless Jackson’s insights feel. Her portrayal of greed, envy, and self-interest is a stark reminder that human nature hasn’t changed. There were no “good old days”; people have always wrestled with these flaws. Jackson’s sharp prose and vivid characters make this a compelling, thought-provoking read, shedding light on the universal struggles that continue to define us.