We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Laughing so hard at everyone in the reviews not understanding that Merricat has magical thinking OCD, while everyone who is familiar with OCD is clearly writing reviews of this book from that viewpoint. An unintentional OCD book for me, lol. Had no idea that was going to be part of the book.

Weird and spooky and eerie. Just my kind of quick book. Just watched the movie after finishing and while i did like it i did not like that they gave her a spell book in it lol, she was not a wannabe witch. Also they botched the ending. Book is better than movie.

I've been avoiding this entry on the Read Harder challenge because horror really isn't my thing, but then I found a copy of this book on my shelves at home, took it to my parents' for Christmas, and devoured it in an afternoon. The sense of place and atmosphere are so great here, and everything just builds to an unexpected but perfectly apt conclusion. Most of what I want to talk about is spoilery, but holy shit, this book is incredible.

(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #1 Read a horror book)

“Poor strangers, they have so much to be afraid of.”
― Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Psychological gothic horror tale about a family that suffered through a tragic event and are then ostracized by the other residents of their village. Mary Katherine, a disturbed young woman who wants to protect what's left of her family through magic words and rituals, is the unreliable narrator of the story.

Older sister Constance is just as intriguing as Mary Katherine. She bends over backward to please and take care of everyone in the house and infantilizes her 18-year old little sister. When cousin Charles comes along, she wants to please him as well. She doesn't see him as a greedy opportunist the way the reader and MK both do. Both sisters go very far in their own way to protect their isolated existence even when it becomes what most of us might consider intolerable.

There's a twist that is pretty easy to guess, largely because of what we know of Mary Katherine's thoughts. That didn't bother me. It was still a thrilling story. We Have Always Lived in the Castle was a fast read, great writing, and a true classic.

I have come to realise that Shirley Jackson's brand of horror doesn't revolve so much around things that go bump in the night, but really around things that are more real, and therefore more terrifying, than that. This is a 3.5 to 4 star read for me.

Mary Katherine Blackwood, known as Merricat to her family, is an 18 year old girl living a secluded life with her sister Constance and her ailing Uncle Julian in a big, empty house. Most of their family are dead. Ugly rumours swirl around the Blackwood family in the nearby town, amplified by the gulf in socioeconomic class that separates the old and prestigious Blackwood family from the rest of the villagers.

The entire story is told from the perspective of Merricat, who, though 18, has the psyche of a much younger child. It is almost as if her psychiatric state has stagnated from when she was 12, when a major event happens that upheaves her entire family. Because of this child-like voice, we never quite get the feeling that we're seeing anything close to a realistic picture of what is happening - we're seeing the events of the plot through the lens of a child's very vivid imagination.

But the horror in this book, or at least the main source of repulsion for me, stems partially from the cruel persecution suffered by the Blackwoods at the hands of the villagers, without any apparent provocation other than that they are the Blackwoods. Any chapter of the book where the villagers turn up became automatically that much more unpleasant to read. The rhymes made up by the children of the village targeting specifically at the Blackwood sisters just smacked of the thoughtless cruelty that children inherit from their parents.

Another source of irritation was the introduction of cousin Charles, who appears with apparently reconciliatory intentions but quickly reveals himself to be a money-grubbing relative eager to get hold of any fortune the Blackwood sisters may have lying around the house. There is quite possibly some feminist undertones in the dynamics between Charles and the sisters, where he immediately asserts himself as the head of this household he had only just recently invaded, and attempts to control and arrange everything as he pleases simply by virtue of being the only male in his prime in the household and by attempting worm his way into Constance's affections, no matter what anyone else thinks.

If you're looking for straight-up supernatural horror, this is probably not the book for you. But if you enjoy the brand of horror that explores the uglier sides of human nature, this book might be right up your alley.

I am confident to say that this may be one of the best books a misanthrope could read. Jackson has manipulated me into remembrance of just how horrible people can be. The horror and fear I expected from this tale, honestly expecting this to be a ghost story, wove its way, instead, into reminding the reader that the real evil and horror of the world is found amongst the living.

This is the first of Shirley Jackson's novels that I have read, previously having only read one short story from Dark Tales which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think enchanted may be the most appropriate word for my first experience with Jackson's writing, her style, her characters (specifically the feral and witchy Merricat) and the oozing tension of what is lurking around the corner for these young maidens so alone in the world.

I felt incredibly protective of Merricat, instantly I noted hints at her (potentially) neurodivergent habits and thoughts, and Constance's agoraphobia, and wanted to plunge my way into their world and slap Cousin Charles senseless, as well as half the village, but of course, the ladies didn't need my help and Jackson had been trying to tell me that from the very beginning. Merricat's disconnection from the reality of others, her black cat companion, her and her sister's botanical knowledge, her magical safeguards and Merricat's disdain of everyone outside her little ‘coven' scream witchcraft without the words, or acts, ever really being muttered. This novel is superb, glittering and dark at the same time, we are weaved into Merricat's unreliable narration and caught like the helpless fly cosied into our own little corner of this wicked tale.

This is my first Shirley Jackson novel and I am genuinely blown away by the story, characters, and narration. As much as I admire Stephen King for his skill, I can see why even he looked up to her as an inspiration. The protagonist, Merricat, reminded me of my younger self in many ways and the suspense built around her character was the main hook of the story for me. I would recommend this short read to everyone. This book is so deep, it definitely holds a mirror up to society even in recent times.

This is a very disconcerting tale of two sisters and their Uncle who live in the aftermath of a family poisoning that killed the girls' parents, their brother, and their Aunt, and for which the older sister had to face a trial (and was acquitted). It's written from the point of view of the younger sister, Merricat, a sly, intelligent, and half-wild 18-year old who is the only one of them who goes to town and thereby endures the villagers' taunts. When their cousin Charles comes to visit, his presence disturbs a carefully ordered routine with unexpected results.
A gothic story brilliantly told, with menace, dark humour, and wry observations of family relations and wealth.
Highly recommended.