Is the use of flashback effective for “A Rose for Emily”?

In William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily," the use of flashbacks enhances the suspense and contributes to the surprise ending. Flashbacks also form part of the narrative style, adding to the gossipy tone of the story.
The narrator is a member of the community in which Emily Grierson has lived her whole life. The narrator speaks on behalf of the community and, as such, does not have an individual personality. The story begins at what is essentially the end: Miss Emily has died and the townspeople attend her funeral and go to her home, mostly out of curiosity and a sense of duty. As the narrator says, Emily was "a monument" in the town. Her family was once wealthy and powerful, and Emily still expected special treatment, even after her family lost influence as the society around them progressed. After immediately telling us that Emily is now dead, the narrator flashes back to scenes from Emily's life, often told out of order. We hear hints that don't become clear until later (the smell at Emily's house, the scene where she buys the rat poison). This technique keeps the reader on his/her toes and makes the ending especially shocking. The townsfolk discover a badly-rotted corpse in Emily's bed whom we can presume is Homer Barron. Now, the smell, the disappearance of Homer, and the rat poison all make sense. If a reader goes back a second time through the story, he or she will see ample foreshadowing, but on the first read, the flashbacks and non-chronological timeline make the ending a horrific surprise.
Further, the flashbacks and the way the narrator jumps sort of erratically between events adds to the gossipy tone of the narrative voice. The narrator represents the community, who really only know Emily from afar. They observe her and hear rumors about her, and those details are all they have to assemble this story. The way the narrator goes back to an earlier story, as though reminded of it by free association, connects to the storytelling, gossip-like feel of the narrative perspective.