We Have Always Lived in the Castle

“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.