Set in the 1950s, this unforgettable classic deftly evokes a tragic love affair and offers a window onto the powerful ways in which class, race, and love intersected in midcentury America.

    In Shirley Jackson's hands the chaos and crises of 1950s Vermont family life become something else entirely, and the two books give further evidence of Jackson's remarkable insight into people—especially children—and why they behave the way they do.

    The choices made by each generation parallel one another, distinctly marked by the passage of time--though the patriarch remains in New York, the second David becomes a missionary in India himself, while his own son, Ted, goes even further, opting to live in a remote village--and these choices come with unforeseen sacrifices. Nor does their religious journey necessarily mean any growing harmony with their surroundings--something that is powerfully brought home when Ted refuses to let his daughter marry across racial lines.

    Basically Malo – the Bad One – runs a protection racket in that if the villagers don’t pay him ‘tax’, nasty things are going to happen to them. Malo has an affinity with cats and he has the same habit of playing with his victims.Father Keogh, a young priest from Ireland, is chosen for the difficult position. Just about the first thing he has to do is get Father Gomez out of the village alive as Gomez believes Malo will kill him.The whole book becomes a fight for the lives and souls of the villagers as Malo is determined to keep his evil hold on them and tries to humiliate the priest. Father Keogh struggles against Malo for the good of the people who are all terrified of the bandit gang.