The Sundial by Shirley Jackson (April 11-16, 2004)
This is the worst book I’ve read this year. The concept was interesting, but the story went nowhere. It is set in a mansion with a family and hired help who all hate one another. You meet them after Lionel’s death, and learn that his mother Orianna Halloran pushed him down the stairs to kill him and have control over the house. Orianna’s husband is wheelchair-bound. Lionel’s wife hates Orianna, and her daughter Fancy awaits her grandmother’s death for her turn to rule the home.
Amid all this hatred, Aunt Fanny Halloran has a vision of her father who warns her that the world is ending and that he will protect everyone in the house. Some new characters enter, but none were the least bit memorable. The characters were shallow, and the plot ended on the "last day" with no hint to what would happen. While leaving a question in a reader’s mind can bring interest to a story, in this case it was just irritating.
