With this, the third of his short fiction collections, Cheever established himself as the chronicler "who mythologized modern American suburban life."Meanor, 1995 p. 75: "The Housebreaker of Shady Hill and Other Stories, once and for all, identified John Cheever as the writer who mythologized modern American suburban life." Contemporary critical reaction to the volume noted Cheever's "growing significance" as a literary figure, but a number of reviewers detected "something a little vapid about the work."Bailey, 2009 (2) p. 256:: See here for mixed reviews on the collection.
