Who Would Like This Book:
Looking for a beautifully unsettling read with gothic vibes and psychological suspense? "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" has you covered. Shirley Jackson crafts a tale dripping with atmosphere - creepy, claustrophobic, and compelling - from the unforgettable voice of Merricat Blackwood. This novel is perfect for fans of unreliable narrators, tense small-town drama, and stories where the ordinary feels just a bit... off. If you loved Jackson's other work, or enjoy authors like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, you'll find yourself enthralled. Great for readers who appreciate character-driven horror and subtle chills rather than outright gore.
Who May Not Like This Book:
This book can be an odd ride. If you need fast-paced action, tidy resolutions, or clear answers to every mystery, it might leave you unsatisfied. Some found the pacing slow, the plot meandering, and the characters' quirks a touch too strange or depressing. The ambiguity and lack of big reveals or supernatural scares may frustrate those expecting a conventional horror or murder mystery. And if unreliable narrators or dark, ambiguous endings aren’t your thing, best proceed with caution!
About:
The novel 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' by Shirley Jackson is a haunting tale narrated by 18-year-old Mary Katherine Merricat Blackwood, depicting the lives of the Blackwood family living in isolation in a large house on expansive grounds. The story delves into themes of ostracism, mental illness, and family dynamics, with a touch of gothic elements. Through Merricat's perspective, readers are drawn into a world of eerie suspense and chilling ambiguity, where the line between reality and imagination is blurred.
Shirley Jackson's writing style in 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' is described as captivating, eerie, and suspenseful. With meticulous craftsmanship and a knack for building tension gradually, Jackson weaves a narrative that is both unsettling and compelling. The novel unfolds in a concise and graceful manner, with scenes that are delicately suspenseful yet warm and candid, showcasing the author's ability to cover a wide range of emotions and themes in a compact space.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of mental illness, trauma, family death, poisoning, and psychological abuse, which may be distressing for some readers.
From The Publisher:
Winner of the 2016 AIGA + Design Observer 50 Books | 50 Covers competition
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is perhaps the crowning achievement of Shirley Jackson's brilliant career: a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the dramatic struggle that ensues when an unexpected visitor interrupts their unusual way of life.
Ratings (452)
Incredible (80) | |
Loved It (143) | |
Liked It (134) | |
It Was OK (60) | |
Did Not Like (30) | |
Hated It (5) |
Reader Stats (1097):
Read It (471) | |
Currently Reading (6) | |
Want To Read (457) | |
Did Not Finish (11) | |
Not Interested (152) |
13 comment(s)
I love women getting sweet revenge.
Every single character was infuriating
Creepy and dark in a Tim Burton sort of way that’s simultaneously strangely comforting.
I wonder if Mary-Kat was really treated like a princess and never punished or if she was the one going to bed at night with no supper that's why she poisoned them all....hmmm gonna have to do some digging lol
It was just meh. It didn’t have a plot and i didnt have fun while reading it so thats why i didnt like it.
It's unsettling in an innocuous way, like ringing in your ears. Jackson is amazing at completely pulling readers in to the atmosphere she creates. It's been so sunny and warm in Portland recently but I still felt chilled when I read.
The synopsis of the book basically says all I could say about it, other than Merricat is one of my favorite narrators ever. I love the way she thinks, the way she works within a system no one else is aware of. She reminds me of the little boy in the Twilight Zone who terrorizes the adults in his life by making his most macabre wishes come true. Except I always hated him, and I don't hate Merricat. She just wants what's best for her family, after all.
Having read the afterword now and knowing more about the author and her psyche, I have a better appreciation for the book.
I think you need to read this as an art piece. The story itself is pretty boring and slow. Nothing really gets resolved, which is fine by me, but nothing much happens either.
But if you read it knowing what the author felt living in her Vermont town and how she felt ostracized by the township, the story makes more of an impact.
It’d be a hard book to recommend and I’m not even sure how I feel about it now.
****5.0****
Review Soon
Great fall read; lots of mystery and questions that were very fun to experience.
What can you read after
We Have Always Lived in the Castle?
About the Author:
Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco in 1916. She first received wide critical acclaim for her short story "The Lottery," which was published in The New Yorker in 1948. She is the author of six novels, including The Haunting…
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