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The Daemon Lover
A short story about a woman searching for her fiancé.
ebook
First published January 1, 1949
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1045 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Jackson
340 books11.2k followersShirley Jackson was an influential American author. A popular writer in her time, her work has received increasing attention from literary critics in recent years. She has influenced such writers as Stephen King, Nigel Kneale, and Richard Matheson.
She is best known for her dystopian short story, "The Lottery" (1948), which suggests there is a deeply unsettling underside to bucolic, smalltown America. In her critical biography of Shirley Jackson, Lenemaja Friedman notes that when Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" was published in the June 28, 1948, issue of The New Yorker, it received a response that "no New Yorker story had ever received." Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by, as Jackson put it, "bewilderment, speculation and old-fashioned abuse."
Jackson's husband, the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, wrote in his preface to a posthumous anthology of her work that "she consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands and be the pundit of the Sunday supplements. She believed that her books would speak for her clearly enough over the years." Hyman insisted the darker aspects of Jackson's works were not, as some critics claimed, the product of "personal, even neurotic, fantasies", but that Jackson intended, as "a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the Bomb", to mirror humanity's Cold War-era fears. Jackson may even have taken pleasure in the subversive impact of her work, as revealed by Hyman's statement that she "was always proud that the Union of South Africa banned The Lottery', and she felt that they at least understood the story".
In 1965, Jackson died of heart failure in her sleep, at her home in North Bennington Vermont, at the age of 48.
She is best known for her dystopian short story, "The Lottery" (1948), which suggests there is a deeply unsettling underside to bucolic, smalltown America. In her critical biography of Shirley Jackson, Lenemaja Friedman notes that when Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" was published in the June 28, 1948, issue of The New Yorker, it received a response that "no New Yorker story had ever received." Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by, as Jackson put it, "bewilderment, speculation and old-fashioned abuse."
Jackson's husband, the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, wrote in his preface to a posthumous anthology of her work that "she consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands and be the pundit of the Sunday supplements. She believed that her books would speak for her clearly enough over the years." Hyman insisted the darker aspects of Jackson's works were not, as some critics claimed, the product of "personal, even neurotic, fantasies", but that Jackson intended, as "a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the Bomb", to mirror humanity's Cold War-era fears. Jackson may even have taken pleasure in the subversive impact of her work, as revealed by Hyman's statement that she "was always proud that the Union of South Africa banned The Lottery', and she felt that they at least understood the story".
In 1965, Jackson died of heart failure in her sleep, at her home in North Bennington Vermont, at the age of 48.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
October 2, 2018
god this story is too real HER DRINKING 894385 COFFEES BUT NOT EATING ANYTHING then being like why am i anxious...mood
Want to read
December 11, 2025extremely shirley jackson title
October 21, 2021
Now this is a strange little story that ends in Jackson's trademark ambiguity. While it is not a horror tale, it is full of fraught tension, as a not-so-young lady searches for her fiance who has failed to turn up on their wedding day. I believe it is meant to mirror the societal pressure women felt to marry at this time and the distress they felt as they grew older, less attractive, and more aware that they would never have the position a woman is "supposed" to occupy.
August 26, 2024
The mentioning of the Greek god Hypnos by a friend who was telling me how he would hypothetically help me fall asleep using some unconventional methods led me to remembering a line from a song that says, "Morpheus why did you leave me when I had need of your love" (I am scream singing it right now in my head as it is 2am and I still can't f*cking sleep), which then led me to nostalgically binge listening to all the songs of the band, among which one called House Carpenter, which led me to googling the lyrics of it, which led me to googling "House Carpenter", which led me to finding out about The Daemon Lover (or House Carpenter) ballad, which led me to reading the Wikipedia page about it, which led me to discovering Shirley Jackson's short story inspired by this ballad, which finally led me to reading it.
And now I'm in a melancholic haze.
I don't know if it's the book; the waiting, the distress, the searching and the never finding. He was there, he was real, and now he was no longer.
Or if it's me; my insomnia, my PMSing, too much black bile in my system.
I guess I'll just put the blame on "the root cause" of this cascade of melancholy >_>
And now I'm in a melancholic haze.
I don't know if it's the book; the waiting, the distress, the searching and the never finding. He was there, he was real, and now he was no longer.
Or if it's me; my insomnia, my PMSing, too much black bile in my system.
I guess I'll just put the blame on "the root cause" of this cascade of melancholy >_>
October 23, 2021
Well, as lately I can't write as well as I did when I studied Literature at the university, I took liberties of transcribing below an excerpt from a text by Jessica Cheung about this short story, written on January 17, 2020 on her blog. I hope she doesn't sue me! Synopis: "A short story about a woman searching for her fiancé."
"...Known for her concentration on the horror genre, Shirley Jackson writes “The Daemon Lover” to portray the very real horror that women were subjected to by societal standards in the early 1900’s. The novel maintains a stressful atmosphere as it focuses on the title character’s frantic hunt for her fiancé, representing women’s search for validation from their community. Originally a Scottish Ballad detailing a woman’s run-in with her former lover, the devil, “The Daemon Lover” depicts the literal and figurative destruction of her life. Shirley Jackson’s interpretation on the traditional narrative works to create a modernized depiction of hell by telling the story of a woman inwardly tormented by societal expectations whose fixation on creating the illusion of a picturesque life is rooted in attempts to attain social validation.
Jackson’s portrayal of her main character’s desperate quest for her lover is borderline nightmarish; the sheer amount of ridicule and obstacles the unnamed narrator faces is surreal and provides a glimpse into her mental anguish as she frantically races around town. Jackson’s decision to not only name her story after the original, but to repurpose the devil’s name, “Jamie Harris,” is a deliberate nod to the previous piece and works to draw a parallel between the two works’ depiction of hell. By reusing the names, she equates a woman’s search for a husband to her downward spiral into hell. The female-damnation motif occurs in other works by Jackson including “The Beautiful Stranger” and “The Tooth” which Wyatt Bonikowski finds “narrate a woman’s gradual realization of her subjection to a demonic male figure, whose claim on her dispossesses her of both home and self” (Bonikowski 66). Likewise, by naming the absentee husband-to-be “Jamie Harris,” Jackson insinuates that, like the devil, he will destroy this woman’s life. Harris’ intangible presence gives his character a certain ambiguity, allowing him to embody the form of a man and the idea of marriage. In this case, Jamie is not just the missing lover but the basal idea that a woman’s value is contingent on her marital status.
Written in a time when women could be ostracized for deviating from the established gender roles (Bonikowski 68), Jackson’s “The Daemon Lover” requires its female characters to find a husband to live up to the female expectation and be accepted into society. The narrator surmises that she doesn’t have to marry, she just needs to appear that way. Her focus on appearance is evident in the dress scene in which she remarks “it is as though I were trying to make myself look prettier than I am” (Jackson). She stresses over how the dresses make her “look” as if they were costumes and strangely frets that she may be seen as trying too hard on her wedding day. Her apartment goes on to reflect its owner’s surface personality; described as immaculately clean and prepped for her new life with Jamie, it is created with the illusion of a perfect life in mind. This is further supported by her refusal to eat any of the food she’s bought for her new life, attempting to keep a museum-like stillness in her home..."
https://medium.com/@jessicacheung_620...
"...Known for her concentration on the horror genre, Shirley Jackson writes “The Daemon Lover” to portray the very real horror that women were subjected to by societal standards in the early 1900’s. The novel maintains a stressful atmosphere as it focuses on the title character’s frantic hunt for her fiancé, representing women’s search for validation from their community. Originally a Scottish Ballad detailing a woman’s run-in with her former lover, the devil, “The Daemon Lover” depicts the literal and figurative destruction of her life. Shirley Jackson’s interpretation on the traditional narrative works to create a modernized depiction of hell by telling the story of a woman inwardly tormented by societal expectations whose fixation on creating the illusion of a picturesque life is rooted in attempts to attain social validation.
Jackson’s portrayal of her main character’s desperate quest for her lover is borderline nightmarish; the sheer amount of ridicule and obstacles the unnamed narrator faces is surreal and provides a glimpse into her mental anguish as she frantically races around town. Jackson’s decision to not only name her story after the original, but to repurpose the devil’s name, “Jamie Harris,” is a deliberate nod to the previous piece and works to draw a parallel between the two works’ depiction of hell. By reusing the names, she equates a woman’s search for a husband to her downward spiral into hell. The female-damnation motif occurs in other works by Jackson including “The Beautiful Stranger” and “The Tooth” which Wyatt Bonikowski finds “narrate a woman’s gradual realization of her subjection to a demonic male figure, whose claim on her dispossesses her of both home and self” (Bonikowski 66). Likewise, by naming the absentee husband-to-be “Jamie Harris,” Jackson insinuates that, like the devil, he will destroy this woman’s life. Harris’ intangible presence gives his character a certain ambiguity, allowing him to embody the form of a man and the idea of marriage. In this case, Jamie is not just the missing lover but the basal idea that a woman’s value is contingent on her marital status.
Written in a time when women could be ostracized for deviating from the established gender roles (Bonikowski 68), Jackson’s “The Daemon Lover” requires its female characters to find a husband to live up to the female expectation and be accepted into society. The narrator surmises that she doesn’t have to marry, she just needs to appear that way. Her focus on appearance is evident in the dress scene in which she remarks “it is as though I were trying to make myself look prettier than I am” (Jackson). She stresses over how the dresses make her “look” as if they were costumes and strangely frets that she may be seen as trying too hard on her wedding day. Her apartment goes on to reflect its owner’s surface personality; described as immaculately clean and prepped for her new life with Jamie, it is created with the illusion of a perfect life in mind. This is further supported by her refusal to eat any of the food she’s bought for her new life, attempting to keep a museum-like stillness in her home..."
https://medium.com/@jessicacheung_620...
May 26, 2020
THE DAEMON LOVER
(auf Deutsch: DIE TEUFELSBRAUT; ist das eigentlich richtig übersetzt, auf wen bezieht sich "Lover"? Spontan hätte ich gedacht, dass der verschwundene Verlobte der "Dämon" ist)
Eine ungemein kraftvolle Erzählung, als hätte Kafka WARTEN AUF GODOT geschrieben, sich aber entgegen seiner Gewohnheit für eine weibliche K. entschieden:
"Jemand musste Josefa K. sitzengelassen haben ..." & "Warten auf den Daemon Lover"
Die Erzählerin weiß, wie es sich gehört: sie wird den angehenden Schriftsteller James Harris heiraten, der zumindest äußerlich ein HCE (here comes everybody) ist und für alle Männer steht, sie wird ihren Job aufgeben und wieder ordentlich Kochen lernen. Ach, die Küche, die Küche ....
Doch Jamie kommt nicht und die Erzählerin macht sich auf die Suche nach ihm. Eine nicht mehr ganz junge Frau, nicht ganz passend gekleidet, die sich überall nach dem jungen, großen Mann im blauen Anzug erkundigt - was findet sie auf ihrer absurden Schnitzeljagd? Spott und Demütigung. Sie stört die Ordnung, nicht nur durch ihre Erkundigungen.
Es ist in Ordnung, dass die Frau für die Ehe ihren Job aufgibt, es ist nicht in Ordnung, nach dem Mann zu suchen, der einen sitzen lässt. So muss alle Scham bei ihr liegen, selbst wenn sie sich zu verteidigen sucht:
"Yes, it looks silly, doesn´t it, me all dressed up and trying to find the young man who promised to marry me, but what about all of it you don´t know? I have more than this, more than you can see: talent, perhaps, and humor of a sort, and I´m a lady and I have pride and affection and delicacy and a certain clear view of life that might make a man satisfied and productive and happy; there´s more than you think when you look at me."
Diese Rechtfertigung ist so berührend!
Es sind die Äußerlichkeiten, der oberflächliche Eindruck, die sie als Objekt des Spotts brandmarken.
Die Wucht der Geschichte resultiert für mich aus dem Topos der von einem Jedermann sitzengelassenen Frau in Kombination mit dem "das wird sich niemals ändern". Am Ende ruht alle Hoffnung darauf , dass Jamie sich in einer Appartementwohnung aufhält, in die die Erzählerin aber trotz Klopfens keinen Einlass bekommt, obwohl sie immer wieder dorthin kommt, sogar mehrfacht täglich:
"She came back many times"
(Ein mir recht neuer Ausdruck stellt übrigens eine weitere semantische Beziehung zum Horrorgenre her: to be ghosted)
(auf Deutsch: DIE TEUFELSBRAUT; ist das eigentlich richtig übersetzt, auf wen bezieht sich "Lover"? Spontan hätte ich gedacht, dass der verschwundene Verlobte der "Dämon" ist)
Eine ungemein kraftvolle Erzählung, als hätte Kafka WARTEN AUF GODOT geschrieben, sich aber entgegen seiner Gewohnheit für eine weibliche K. entschieden:
"Jemand musste Josefa K. sitzengelassen haben ..." & "Warten auf den Daemon Lover"
Die Erzählerin weiß, wie es sich gehört: sie wird den angehenden Schriftsteller James Harris heiraten, der zumindest äußerlich ein HCE (here comes everybody) ist und für alle Männer steht, sie wird ihren Job aufgeben und wieder ordentlich Kochen lernen. Ach, die Küche, die Küche ....
Doch Jamie kommt nicht und die Erzählerin macht sich auf die Suche nach ihm. Eine nicht mehr ganz junge Frau, nicht ganz passend gekleidet, die sich überall nach dem jungen, großen Mann im blauen Anzug erkundigt - was findet sie auf ihrer absurden Schnitzeljagd? Spott und Demütigung. Sie stört die Ordnung, nicht nur durch ihre Erkundigungen.
Es ist in Ordnung, dass die Frau für die Ehe ihren Job aufgibt, es ist nicht in Ordnung, nach dem Mann zu suchen, der einen sitzen lässt. So muss alle Scham bei ihr liegen, selbst wenn sie sich zu verteidigen sucht:
"Yes, it looks silly, doesn´t it, me all dressed up and trying to find the young man who promised to marry me, but what about all of it you don´t know? I have more than this, more than you can see: talent, perhaps, and humor of a sort, and I´m a lady and I have pride and affection and delicacy and a certain clear view of life that might make a man satisfied and productive and happy; there´s more than you think when you look at me."
Diese Rechtfertigung ist so berührend!
Es sind die Äußerlichkeiten, der oberflächliche Eindruck, die sie als Objekt des Spotts brandmarken.
Die Wucht der Geschichte resultiert für mich aus dem Topos der von einem Jedermann sitzengelassenen Frau in Kombination mit dem "das wird sich niemals ändern". Am Ende ruht alle Hoffnung darauf , dass Jamie sich in einer Appartementwohnung aufhält, in die die Erzählerin aber trotz Klopfens keinen Einlass bekommt, obwohl sie immer wieder dorthin kommt, sogar mehrfacht täglich:
"She came back many times"
(Ein mir recht neuer Ausdruck stellt übrigens eine weitere semantische Beziehung zum Horrorgenre her: to be ghosted)
January 1, 2018
Have you ever had that reoccurring dream that you're late for work. You're filled with panic and dread and nothing you do can make up for it. Every encounter drives you to despair until you finally wake.
Jackson's "The Daemon Lover" is that dream. However instead of being late for work "She" is late to her own wedding after losing her fiancé.
Jackson's "The Daemon Lover" is that dream. However instead of being late for work "She" is late to her own wedding after losing her fiancé.
July 14, 2022
I feel like this short Shirley Jackson story has the same issue that plagued The Haunting of Hill House. There's the glimmer of horror, a sprinkling of suspense, and not much else. It's hard not to imagine what someone like H.P. Lovecraft would have done with that ending. The Daemon Lover is okay, but ultimately disappointing.
July 21, 2025
Overall: 4/5
The Daemon Lover: 3.5/5
Like Mother Used To Make: 4/5
When Things Get Dark: 3/5
Charles: 3.5/5
Pillar of Salt: 4.5/5
Murder On Miss Lederer’s Birthday: 3.5/5
Louise, Please Come Home: 4.5/5
Jackson’s ability to capture morbid desire/curiosity in snapshots of domestic life is undeniably impressive. Simplistic descriptions of everyday life leave stories with an uncanny valley flavour that is finished off with peculiar endings that leave you wondering how it all actually ended.
I used this small collection as a taster for Shirley Jackson and it’s fair to say I will be investing more time into her works.
The Daemon Lover: 3.5/5
Like Mother Used To Make: 4/5
When Things Get Dark: 3/5
Charles: 3.5/5
Pillar of Salt: 4.5/5
Murder On Miss Lederer’s Birthday: 3.5/5
Louise, Please Come Home: 4.5/5
Jackson’s ability to capture morbid desire/curiosity in snapshots of domestic life is undeniably impressive. Simplistic descriptions of everyday life leave stories with an uncanny valley flavour that is finished off with peculiar endings that leave you wondering how it all actually ended.
I used this small collection as a taster for Shirley Jackson and it’s fair to say I will be investing more time into her works.
August 21, 2025
I don't think I like Shirley Jackson's short stories..
February 20, 2025
Fashionably late.
A woman wakes up early and gets ready for her big day, waiting for her soon to be spouse to pick her up. But as hours go by and he never arrives, she realizes something must have gone terribly wrong, and starts a desperate search to find her fiancé. Is he ok? What had happened to him?
I guess this was good. Kind of a boring start tbh, lost track of how many towels the dear girl threw in the hamper. The middle and the rising tension were especially good though. And you can always count with good ol' Shirley to give an unsettling, deeply unsatisfactory ending.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1949] [17p] [Fiction] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
???????? The Lottery and Other Stories <--
-----------------------------------------------
Elegantemente tarde.
Una mujer se despierta temprano y se prepara para su gran día, esperando que su futuro esposo la pase a buscara. Pero a medida que pasan las horas y él nunca llega, ella se da cuenta de que algo terrible debe haber salido mal, y comienza una búsqueda desesperada para encontrar a su prometido. ¿Estará bien? ¿Qué le ha sucedido?
Supongo que esto estuvo bien. Para ser honestos fue un comienzo algo aburrido, perdí la cuenta de cuántas toallas la querida mujer arrojó al cesto. Sin embargo, el desarrollo y la creciente tensión fueron especialmente buenos. Y siempre puedes contar con la buena y vieja Shirley para darte un final inquietante, y profundamente insatisfactorio.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1949] [17p] [Ficción] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
A woman wakes up early and gets ready for her big day, waiting for her soon to be spouse to pick her up. But as hours go by and he never arrives, she realizes something must have gone terribly wrong, and starts a desperate search to find her fiancé. Is he ok? What had happened to him?
I guess this was good. Kind of a boring start tbh, lost track of how many towels the dear girl threw in the hamper. The middle and the rising tension were especially good though. And you can always count with good ol' Shirley to give an unsettling, deeply unsatisfactory ending.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1949] [17p] [Fiction] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
???????? The Lottery and Other Stories <--
-----------------------------------------------
Elegantemente tarde.
Una mujer se despierta temprano y se prepara para su gran día, esperando que su futuro esposo la pase a buscara. Pero a medida que pasan las horas y él nunca llega, ella se da cuenta de que algo terrible debe haber salido mal, y comienza una búsqueda desesperada para encontrar a su prometido. ¿Estará bien? ¿Qué le ha sucedido?
Supongo que esto estuvo bien. Para ser honestos fue un comienzo algo aburrido, perdí la cuenta de cuántas toallas la querida mujer arrojó al cesto. Sin embargo, el desarrollo y la creciente tensión fueron especialmente buenos. Y siempre puedes contar con la buena y vieja Shirley para darte un final inquietante, y profundamente insatisfactorio.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1949] [17p] [Ficción] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
January 6, 2020
A very interesting story . An unnamed woman waits for her groom to show up. Hours pass, he's a no-show so she goes looking for him.
The horror here is rooted in a sense of increasing anxiety. Small details are magnified. the tension is high and keeps growing with very encounter. The woman is unnamed in her own narrative and it feels like she's constrained by conventions -her frantic dressing and anxiety. In contrast, the groom even though absent has both identity (borrowed from a Scottish ballad) and agency.
The horror here is rooted in a sense of increasing anxiety. Small details are magnified. the tension is high and keeps growing with very encounter. The woman is unnamed in her own narrative and it feels like she's constrained by conventions -her frantic dressing and anxiety. In contrast, the groom even though absent has both identity (borrowed from a Scottish ballad) and agency.
November 14, 2025
The horror of being a woman among men
March 10, 2022
Well I liked this short story by Shirley Jackson better than the one I read yesterday, so that is something. There is even a remote possibility I will remember it, at least for a little while. I'm reading my way through a book of Shirley Jackson's short stories. I don't know if I can make it through an entire book of nothing but short stories, but I'm trying. I'll just have to turn to the last story in the book, The Lottery, my all time favorite short story, of course it's one of the only short stories I remember, so maybe being my favorite isn't saying much, but reading it will give me the strength to carry on, hopefully. The second story in the book is this one, and I just finished it a few minutes ago, it's taking me longer to write this than it took to read the story.
First there is the title, I assumed the "Daemon" lover was a bad guy, the devil or a demon type guy. But I wondered at the spelling so I looked it up and found that "a demon is an evil spirit, a daemon is a good spirit." I didn't see much good in any of this, but I'll take their word for it. It's also some sort of computer thing, but I ignored that altogether. The story is about a lady on her wedding day, a rather odd lady in my opinion. She makes it a point of letting us know she is no longer young, she is in her 30s, 34 years old I think, I can't remember for sure. She has to get married soon before she needs a cane to walk and doesn't have her real teeth anymore. Then she has to obsess over what to wear, her blue dress, or some flowery dress with lots of ruffles. The blue one is plain, but the flowered one looks too young for her, she is an old maid after all. She ends up wearing both at different times in the day. The whole thing reminded me of the time my first husband, pay attention to the word first, came home with a skirt and top for me, it was filled with flowers, and short, and tight, and looked like something a 16 year old girl would look very nice in. I wasn't a 16 year old girl, I was probably, come to think of it, around 34 years old. I refused to wear the thing, we fought over that stupid dress and while I don't quite remember the entire fight, I know I never wore it.
Anyway, the next thing I found really strange about the lady is what she is horrified over. Here it is:
With sudden horror she realized that she had forgotten to put clean sheets on the bed
I am absolutely positive that of all the things I may have been horrified over, clean sheets has never made the list. I change the sheets when I think if it, and I usually think of it when I turn back the covers and find the sheets are covered in dirt and know that our cocker spaniel has been out in the garden again. Yes, she sleeps with us, in the middle, and under the covers. But changing sheets doesn't horrify me. Oh, she changes the towels too, a couple of times, at least she only changes the sheets once.
She also drinks coffee, the lady in the story not our dog, lots of coffee, and when her cup is finally empty she goes and gets more coffee. When she finally decides to go get some food to eat she comes back with coffee. So now we have the dress, clean sheets, clean towels, lots of coffee, all we need is the groom. I don't know where he is, it's a short story remember? I hate short stories because of the endings. Oh wait, there aren't any endings. On to the next story, if you can figure out where the groom is let me know. Happy reading.
First there is the title, I assumed the "Daemon" lover was a bad guy, the devil or a demon type guy. But I wondered at the spelling so I looked it up and found that "a demon is an evil spirit, a daemon is a good spirit." I didn't see much good in any of this, but I'll take their word for it. It's also some sort of computer thing, but I ignored that altogether. The story is about a lady on her wedding day, a rather odd lady in my opinion. She makes it a point of letting us know she is no longer young, she is in her 30s, 34 years old I think, I can't remember for sure. She has to get married soon before she needs a cane to walk and doesn't have her real teeth anymore. Then she has to obsess over what to wear, her blue dress, or some flowery dress with lots of ruffles. The blue one is plain, but the flowered one looks too young for her, she is an old maid after all. She ends up wearing both at different times in the day. The whole thing reminded me of the time my first husband, pay attention to the word first, came home with a skirt and top for me, it was filled with flowers, and short, and tight, and looked like something a 16 year old girl would look very nice in. I wasn't a 16 year old girl, I was probably, come to think of it, around 34 years old. I refused to wear the thing, we fought over that stupid dress and while I don't quite remember the entire fight, I know I never wore it.
Anyway, the next thing I found really strange about the lady is what she is horrified over. Here it is:
With sudden horror she realized that she had forgotten to put clean sheets on the bed
I am absolutely positive that of all the things I may have been horrified over, clean sheets has never made the list. I change the sheets when I think if it, and I usually think of it when I turn back the covers and find the sheets are covered in dirt and know that our cocker spaniel has been out in the garden again. Yes, she sleeps with us, in the middle, and under the covers. But changing sheets doesn't horrify me. Oh, she changes the towels too, a couple of times, at least she only changes the sheets once.
She also drinks coffee, the lady in the story not our dog, lots of coffee, and when her cup is finally empty she goes and gets more coffee. When she finally decides to go get some food to eat she comes back with coffee. So now we have the dress, clean sheets, clean towels, lots of coffee, all we need is the groom. I don't know where he is, it's a short story remember? I hate short stories because of the endings. Oh wait, there aren't any endings. On to the next story, if you can figure out where the groom is let me know. Happy reading.
November 16, 2023
This just perfectly encapsulates the horrors of the femme experience. I, too, was once a daemon lover. Shirley, we are kindred spirits.
And, once again, I’m obsessed with her use of the monotony of every day suburban life as a tool to build the energy of the story and heighten the anxiety of the character (and also reader).
Another trademark ambiguous ending 🖤
And, once again, I’m obsessed with her use of the monotony of every day suburban life as a tool to build the energy of the story and heighten the anxiety of the character (and also reader).
Another trademark ambiguous ending 🖤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2025
Are women insane? Or it's just a manipulation of their lovers?
--
Penguin Archive is series consist of 90 classic titles to celebrate 90 years of Penguin Books. Among those classic, there's also my favorite author, Shirley Jackson.
Jackson was American author who mostly wrote horror story. Perhaps you have known The Haunting of Hill House--which had been adapted into Netflix's series, or The Lottery--with some kind of shocking "plot twist" at the end. But inside The Daemon Lover by Penguin Archive, you will find 7 short stories which perhaps you haven't read before.
You will meet a woman who insist that her James "Jamie" Harris is going to marry her but he left her apartment right before their wedding. Or, you will witness how Marcia and David have their argument when his landlord come over to the apartment. Or, the heresay of Charles who has been the naughty kid in a kindergarten. Those short stories will make you question, who are they? Which experience to believe?
As I read The Daemon Lover, I got a grasp that Jackson was trying to potray how loneliness and/or depression because of being lonely sometime make us "insane" by the eyes of society. However, the "issue" which Jackson was bringing is still relevant (or getting more relevant) nowadays.
If you are fans of Intan Paramaditha's books, I recommend you to read Shirley Jacskon as well. You can start with this The Daemon Lover by Penguin Archive (it's only 112 pages anyway!) before you decide whether it suits your taste or not.
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Penguin Archive is series consist of 90 classic titles to celebrate 90 years of Penguin Books. Among those classic, there's also my favorite author, Shirley Jackson.
Jackson was American author who mostly wrote horror story. Perhaps you have known The Haunting of Hill House--which had been adapted into Netflix's series, or The Lottery--with some kind of shocking "plot twist" at the end. But inside The Daemon Lover by Penguin Archive, you will find 7 short stories which perhaps you haven't read before.
You will meet a woman who insist that her James "Jamie" Harris is going to marry her but he left her apartment right before their wedding. Or, you will witness how Marcia and David have their argument when his landlord come over to the apartment. Or, the heresay of Charles who has been the naughty kid in a kindergarten. Those short stories will make you question, who are they? Which experience to believe?
As I read The Daemon Lover, I got a grasp that Jackson was trying to potray how loneliness and/or depression because of being lonely sometime make us "insane" by the eyes of society. However, the "issue" which Jackson was bringing is still relevant (or getting more relevant) nowadays.
If you are fans of Intan Paramaditha's books, I recommend you to read Shirley Jacskon as well. You can start with this The Daemon Lover by Penguin Archive (it's only 112 pages anyway!) before you decide whether it suits your taste or not.
November 15, 2024
Una maestra en armar ambiente.
November 14, 2022
¿Cuándo voy a aprender a calmarme cada vez que leo a Jackson? La señora hace que me dé una ansiedad tremenda y me deje al borde de la silla hasta la última palabra. Aaaa, señora la amo
August 4, 2021
Although short, this is another classic example of Jackson’s amazing talent as a writer. The mounting sense of anxiety, fear and uncertainty as the story progresses and our protagonist continues with her fruitless search, is really remarkable.
A fantastic and thought-provoking quick read that conjures up issues of women’s place in society, the hierarchy of domesticity, psychological and emotional baggage. Another story with layers of meaning waiting for you to delve in to them.
A fantastic and thought-provoking quick read that conjures up issues of women’s place in society, the hierarchy of domesticity, psychological and emotional baggage. Another story with layers of meaning waiting for you to delve in to them.
August 11, 2021
Sublime suspense. A woman's feverish anxiety over hunting down the whereabouts of her missing husband-to-be on her wedding day. Quite a sad tale.
January 20, 2022
the way she was able to convey the kind of anxiety that plagues u when u don’t want to think the worst of a man and then the blind faith and spiral following the truth….she gets it.
November 20, 2023
Shirley Jackson invented ghosting
If this were by a different author, I would be disappointed—but the ambiguity and bits of unresolved questions are so her thing I can’t even be mad about it!
If this were by a different author, I would be disappointed—but the ambiguity and bits of unresolved questions are so her thing I can’t even be mad about it!
March 29, 2025
I read the Penguin Archive edition (ISBN: 9780241752135), with other collected short stories from Shirley Jackson, but that doesn't seem to exist on Goodreads.
Shirley Jackson I love you so!! These stories were so good - particularly the titular Daemon Lover, which really tapped into my deep-seated paranoia and Lateness Anxiety. Louisa, Please Come Home was an absolute gut punch, too, and a definite new favourite in the short story genre.
Jackson's recurring theme of Home appears in all of these shorts, and I will never tire of hearing about it. What is a home? When we leave, can we ever return, or do we have to find a new one? What happens when home is not where the heart is?
Shirley Jackson I love you so!! These stories were so good - particularly the titular Daemon Lover, which really tapped into my deep-seated paranoia and Lateness Anxiety. Louisa, Please Come Home was an absolute gut punch, too, and a definite new favourite in the short story genre.
Jackson's recurring theme of Home appears in all of these shorts, and I will never tire of hearing about it. What is a home? When we leave, can we ever return, or do we have to find a new one? What happens when home is not where the heart is?
August 14, 2024
this is what it’s like trying to make friends in ur early twenties.
September 21, 2025
Wildly depressing and demoralising, but I loved it and highly recommend to all.
October 7, 2025
A mixed bag here! Some absolute banger short stories, and some that just kind of meander along, but it's always a joy to sit with Shirley Jackson's writing style.
October 15, 2025
[3.75] mujeres perdiendo la cabeza mientras beben café y fuman... that's my shit
July 16, 2025
if Steph does this to me on our wedding day I’ll eat him <3
May 9, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
None of these are favourite, stand out Shirley stories, but they were all still a joy to read! My ranking:
Murder on Miss Lederer’s Birthday — looooved this one. The main characters are icons lol.
The Daemon Lover
Like Mother Used to Make — had a visceral reaction to this one
Pillar of Salt — woman with undiagnosed anxiety tries to navigate the world!
Louisa, Please Come Home
Charles
When Things Get Dark — felt like I needed an English teacher to help me understand
None of these are favourite, stand out Shirley stories, but they were all still a joy to read! My ranking:
Murder on Miss Lederer’s Birthday — looooved this one. The main characters are icons lol.
The Daemon Lover
Like Mother Used to Make — had a visceral reaction to this one
Pillar of Salt — woman with undiagnosed anxiety tries to navigate the world!
Louisa, Please Come Home
Charles
When Things Get Dark — felt like I needed an English teacher to help me understand
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews