Read: 1/12 – 1/19/2021
You might love this book if you’re looking for: Gothic mystery, complicated family dynamics, female protagonists, and a cat named Jonas.
You might not love this book if you’re looking for: Scares, haunted houses, or actual, literal castles.
Since the murder of the majority of their family 6 years prior, Merricat Blackwood has lived under the care of her sister Constance (who was accused, but later acquitted of the homicide) along with her wheelchair-bound Uncle Julian, and black cat Jonas. Ostracized by the rest of the community for their tragedy and the suspicion surrounding them, the sisters have created a quiet, insular life for themselves. Merricat is the only member of the family who leaves the property (only once a week to get groceries and library books) and is regularly taunted and harassed by the townspeople.
The Blackwood’s calmly curated life is turned upside down suddenly by the appearance of an estranged cousin, Charles, claiming that he has come to help them – though his interest in their family inheritance appears to be his main focus. As Charles tries to win Constance’s trust, tensions with Merricat come to a boil leading to further catastrophe and proving to the Blackwood girls that they have no one they can rely on but themselves.
My thoughts about Shirley Jackson’s work can be summed up pretty aptly by a Jane Austen quote:
“If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
-Emma by Jane Austen
We Have Always Lived In the Castle was Shirley Jackson’s final novel and, arguably, one of her best. Unlike some of her previous works, this tale doesn’t rely on any supernatural occurrences (despite Merricat’s knack for the occult), but rather on the atrocities of human behavior and mob mentality. She explores a sense of “otherness” and the “Us versus them” in a way that still feels relevant to today’s world, despite having been written almost 60 years ago.
While the plot of this story has enough intrigue to keep you hooked and the Blackwood property – the primary setting – is filled with interesting details, I think the standout element in this story is the characters. Merricat is written in such a way that, despite being the main character and point of view, she’s wonderfully unlikeable. She can infuriating, quick tempered, and juvenile at times, despite her age, and though her motives appear to be protective of Constance, there’s an air of selfishness that’s hard to push aside. Constance is kind of heart and just wants to hold her crumbling family together. She wants to understand Merricat and hold onto the life they’ve created together, while also struggling with external pressures from the community and Charles. Even Uncle Julian and Jonas the cat are surprisingly emotionally charged characters.
As with many of her other works, We Have Always Lived In the Castle is yet another Jackson masterclass in the short novel. She dives into the heart of her stories quickly and executes them with just the right amount of flourish. They also always read quickly with a cinematic quality and We Have Always Lived In the Castle is no different. Each scene is vivid and comes to life off the page. You can feel Merricat’s heart rate rise as the villagers taunt her. You can smell the food Constance is cooking and imagine the shifting of Uncle Julian’s papers as he shuffles through his memoir.
Now, I’ll admit, I’m a bit biased. I have read a lot of Jackson’s work and I am a big fan of most of it. I would recommend her works to anyone looking for something a bit gothic and dark. Throughout her works, she has a little something for everyone. We Have Always Lived In the Castle, however, is among my favorites of her novels. Between the relatable characters, the thoughtful details that add character to the settings and plots, it’s really hard to find much fault with this one.
