Ronald S. Lim from the Manila Bulletin asks several authors what literary character scares them the most.
Here’s my answer:
“This is not a character in the strictest sense, but the entire town in Shirley Jackson’s widely anthologized story ‘The Lottery’ scared me. The story hooks you in with an innocent opening paragraph about this idyllic town in summer – The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green — which quickly devolves into something dark and horrific. Jackson’s a master in subtlety, and as a reader you will not be able to discern the horror (at best you will feel the low hum of unease) until the very very end. And it’s scary because the idea is not far-fetched or unthinkable – it can actually happen.” — Eliza Victoria, author of “Lower Myths”, “The Viewless Dark”, and “A Bottle of Storm Clouds”
Read more here. Answers from Cecilia Brainard, Samantha Sotto, Scott Chua, Yvette Tan, Mina Esguerra, Queena Lee Chua, Kate Evangelista, AS Santos, Kate Osias, and Nikki Alfar.
Eliza Victoria 