We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jackson’s last book, a novella, is considered by many to be her masterpiece. I never forgot first reading it as a young teenager, riveted by the unreliable narrator, Mary Catherine Blackwood (“Merricat”), and her practice of weaving magic spells around the house to keep the remains of her family safe from the prying eyes and hostilities of the townsfolk. A murder mystery lies at the core—half of her family were poisoned by arsenic put into the sugar bowl—and only she, her Uncle Julian, and her sister Constance survived. The tale ends with a conflagration set by Merricat,… show more.

Known for her chilling short story, The Lottery, a classic once studied in every high school in America, Shirley Jackson’s work is diffused with horror; a horror that can be humorous at times, yet always understated and profound. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is told from the peculiar perspective of eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine, AKA Merricat, about her isolated family and the wooded estate they hole up in. This is not a genre novel – not a stalker or slasher of teens, no gore to speak of – but insightful, funny, compassionate horror at its best. Funny, compassionate… show more.

Last, but most important to me, is Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, an awesomely deceptive novel about two outcast sisters in a decaying mansion. Murder, resentful villagers, and a love interest who threatens the status quo power this tale. It’s funny as hell, its devious narrator is a genius at revelation, and the story itself is gripping and true to human nature. A small gift that constantly reveals new layers and complexity, and a fantastic read to boot. 

From an expert horror storyteller, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is my favorite Shirley Jackson novel. Unlike the more famous The Haunting of Hill House, Castle is not about a haunted house. But there is something strange and mysterious happening within the walls of Blackwood House. Instead of ghostly spirits, the mansion on the outskirts of town is possessed by secrets. Secrets that have ostracized two sisters and their crippled uncle following the suspicious arsenic poisoning deaths of half the Blackwood family. Reclusive older sister Constance is widely suspected of the crime, while young Merricat is subject… show more.

I’m 51 and my twin sister and I have always lived together, which some people find peculiar. Sisters Merricat and Constance Blackwood also live together, shut off in infamy after one of them is accused of murdering their parents, aunt, and brother. They spend tranquil days in the remnants of the family estate, a place that was spooky even before the old house burned half to the ground and got ransacked by villagers. Shirley Jackson’s slim novel, one of her lesser-known works, is a primer of introvert goals disguised as a gothic fairy tale. Even though there’s a 50% chance… show more.

Because it’s been copied a lot since its release, the book might not shock readers today, but in its time, the idea was ground-breaking. I read it as a teen and was fascinated with “Merricat" Blackwood, her sister Constance, and the mystery of how their family was poisoned. The rhyme chanted by local children whenever Merricat leaves home has stuck in my head for decades.

Though her Haunting of Hill House, is much more famous, I actually found that to be an underwhelming read. And had given up on Jackson as a result, until catching the Netflix film version of Castle. That muted but creepy take on this material made me want to read the novel, and I’m glad I did, as it proves to have been a faithful adaptation. The tone here somehow walks a perfect line between understated and menacing throughout the novel, while also maintaining this sense of the young narrator’s childlike whimsy. So much so that you don’t even… show more.

“I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cap mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.” Mary Katherine Blackwood is one of my favorite narrators in literature. Her intimate sinister frankness is rivaled only by Shirley Jackson’s unbeatable ability to write dialogue that sends shivers up your spine. The Blackwoods—or what’s left of them—exist with a need to constantly relive the horror of their past and a simultaneous inability to confront it. We feel little sympathy for Mary, but we do feel an unrivaled fascination.

One of my favorite classics, We Have Always Lived in the Castle defies tidy genre classification. Part mystery, part coming-of-age story (with a bit of Gothic horror too), this wonderful and twisted novel from Shirley Jackson tells the story of unusual Merricat Blackwood and her older sister, the agoraphobic Constance, who live with their uncle in isolation at Blackwood House. I remember frantically turning the pages the first time I read Jackson’s story, which is such a fantastic craft study in expert pacing and psychological suspense. But there’s a beating heart to this story, too, which is what really hooks… show more.

Sisters Merricat and Constance, along with their sickly Uncle Julian, don’t really live in a castle; their New England estate is a once-stately mansion which Merricat now protects with magic spells. It’s been just the three of them since the rest of the family died of strawberries seasoned from a poisoned sugar bowl, which everyone in town blames on Constance, but how could that sweet-faced young lady be a murderer? When reading Jackson’s gleefully wicked modern Gothic novel, keep reminding yourself that, as appealing as it may seem, barricading yourself from society in a crumbling manse with your unhinged murder… show more.