We Have Always Lived in the Castle

By Shirley Jackson

Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood and her elder sister Constance live alone in their ancestral home with their crippled uncle after the tragic murder of both of their parents, their aunt, and their younger brother. Having been accused and later acquitted of the murders, Constance confines herself to the grounds of their home, while Merricat contends with their hostile neighbors and with the ever-increasing sense of impending danger she feels is heading their way.

In We Have Always Lived in the Castle, author Shirley Jackson deftly handles delicate subjects like mental illness, agoraphobia, and social isolation. We Have Always Lived in the Castle was Jackson’s final novel, and has been held in high critical esteem since its publication in 1962.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781443451123

Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson was an American author who is best known for the short story “The Lottery” and the horror novel The Haunting of Hill House. Married to the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, Jackson cultivated a literary lifestyle, writing full time and developing relationships with literary colleagues. A gifted writer, Jackson frequently took inspiration from the events and locales of rural Vermont, where she and her family resided, and from the exploits of her children, which were chronicled in Life Among the Savages. Jackson died of heart failure in 1965.

Reviews for We Have Always Lived in the Castle

[kayis813-163108 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not entirely sure what happened but I'm pretty sure I liked it.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very, very creepy, this story of two sisters living with an invalid uncle on the edge of a town that hates them. It was surprisingly easy to fall into Mericat's world-view, full of ritual and superstition. This was wonderfully disturbing, but not gory or jumpy - it is the claustrophobia of the small town and of the sisters lives that makes the story.I'd give this to people looking for a cosy horror, a murder mystery, or a tale with a twist.

[kjharrison_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those books that stays with you. I read it in the 1980s and still find myself thinking about it. It's perfect for teenager, who will understand it and be able to empathize with the main character. Early teens is also the perfect age for this wonderfully unpredictable story. Also one of Jackson's best novels.

[laytonwoman3rd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little classic gem of horror. Eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine Blackwood narrates the tale of her reclusive life with her older sister Constance and their invalid Uncle Julian. What happened to the rest of the family years ago? And will Cousin Charles's unexpected appearance disrupt their equilibrium? Jackson's genius puts us right inside MerriKat's head, where, heaven help us, we start to feel eerily comfortable. Wicked little touches of dark humor are the icing on this gothic cupcake.

[ninelarks-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shirley Jackson is the author of The Lottery, a fantastic short story with a horrific plot twist that most everyone has read. True to form, Jackson writes this book with similar style.

It's dark, but in very different way from what most people expect.
Merricat and Constance and Uncle Julian live in a grand house a-ways from the village. They live fairly happily, even if there are some strange undercurrents floating around. When Merricat goes into the village, we start feeling the tension and the feeling that something is not-quite-right, even though there is nothing outwardly wrong.

Jackson is a master at curating this type of atmosphere. This casual daily interactions with a niggling sensation of something wrong. And that is the beauty of the whole book. We spend the whole time trying to figure out what is wrong, what is it, what is actually going on?

Merricat is dark and adorable. I love following her around. It is through her perspective that we view this world. And it is a childish logic that colors the lens. "On the moon..." she might say, and tell us solemnly of the wonders there and what will happen when they live there. There is a child-logic and child-magic in the type of protection she places around the house.

The scenes with Charles are fantastic. His character is established perfectly within such easy phrases. His manipulation, his impact on Constance, his priorities. I marvel at the ease at which Jackson can write characters true to form.

I think my favorite part of the book was the ending. The resolution to this story was perfect. It didn't cut us off at the climax; it gave true resolution. And it was done so well because Merricat and Constance are both completely in character and logical, but when you take a half step back... the scene crawls with that underlying horror.

3.5 stars rounded down. I was a hair's breadth from rounding up, but honestly it just doesn't quite hit that threshold for me to round up. Ugh, so close though. I am mostly just in awe of her writing.

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really don't even know what to say about this book right now, so I'm not going to try. It was spectacular, though.

[toric90 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A quick and chilling horror story. Definitely a classic. Beautifully written so that not only is the reader attached to the characters but that you really feel what they feel and yet wonder what could possibly happen next.

[chellebearss · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This tale is narrated in the first person by 18 year old Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood and tells the story of her life in isolation with her sister Constance and her uncle Julian. After living through a family massacre six years earlier Constance is now ridden with agoraphobia and Uncle Julian lives in a state of partial dementia. Through Uncle Julian's rambling thoughts and stories the reader starts to learn bits and pieces of the unsolved murder. Merricat is a very strange young woman and a tad insane and most of her thoughts revolve around keeping the remaining family safe and causing death to strangers or towns folk that threaten their way of life. She lives her world in daydreams and magic, burying family heirlooms in the yard in an attempt to set protective magic around their home.After a distant family member arrives to invade their space and attempt to make changes in their life a tragic accident changes everything for them.This was horror, but not in the classic sense. Nothing jumps out and goes "Boo". Like "The Lottery" this book tells a tale of human nature, mob mentality and the potential of evil in every human being.

[soufflebun · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was creepy and I think for the past few days whilst I was reading it I became quite unsettled but other than that I'm not sure I enjoyed the book all that much.

[nataliec7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh dear, I appear to be among the minority who didn't love this book! I found it okay really, it was easy to read and weird. And I am left feeling a little dissatisfied unfortunately. Like it kind of just ended, all of a sudden and although I didn't love it, I kind of wanted more...

[susanbevans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead."I was hooked immediately - I had to find out what happened to the rest of her family. It was so easy to get caught up in this haunting tale. Mary Katherine Blackwood, known as Merricat, is the narrator, living with her reclusive sister Constance and their Uncle Julian, the surviving members of a large family that came to a sad end through the consumption of arsenic laced sugar.The intriguing Merricat tells the story, regaling the reader with her rituals, talismans and magic, but these alone are not enough to counteract the interloper, who threatens her familiar lifestyle, and tries to destroy the strong family unit.Cousin Charles arrives at Blackwood house, with his eye on the family fortune. He disturbs the sisters' careful habits, installing himself at the head of the family table, unearthing Merricat's treasures, talking privately to Constance about "normal lives" and "boy friends." Unable to drive him away by either polite or occult means, Merricat adopts more desperate methods. The result is crisis and tragedy, the revelation of a terrible secret, the convergence of the villagers upon the house, and a spectacular unleashing of collective spite.We Have Always Lived in the Castle is one of Shirley Jackson's earlier novels. It is a Gothic horror masterpiece, full of murder, poison and madness. This story explores the evils of the human mind - sometimes much more frightening than ghoulies, ghosties, vampires, and all other things that go bump in the night.This book examines what happens when a family is shattered and the truth is held back too long. The fear and anxiety of the sisters combined with the hostility, blunt rage, and inhumanity of the villagers makes this a compelling novel. The story is compelling and darkly humorous, making this novel downright creepy - but wonderful!

[kayla3marie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea? No, said Merricat, you'll poison me. Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep? Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!" This book was so amazing! I still can't get that song/rhyme out of my head. The scene when all the townfolk are singing it while the Blackwoods' house is being burned and vandalized is one of the most haunting moments I've ever read. It it so interesting how Jackson was able to portray Merricat in such a sympathizing way, despite her being an incredibly disturbed child, desperate to be the center of attention in a really psychotic way. I wish that Jackson had given more insight into the characters' thoughts. Even though the book is told from Merricat's POV, not a whole lot of light is shed on how Merricat thought of her family and whether she had any regrets or not. Though, Connie is the biggest mystery. How did she think of her sister after the murder of their family? It's hard to believe that her thoughts toward her sister didn't change at all, but that seems to be the case. Connie even went to some lengths to protect Merricat from accusations of the murder, and afterward she took care of her and babied her with seemingly goodwill for years. Her love for Merricat was truly unconditional. One of the kindest and most unselfish characters I've come across in literature.

[lahochstetler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a delightfully creepy story, in which Jackson reminds us that the most frightening tales need not rely on graphic violence, spilling blood, or similar. This is the story of Merricat Blackwood, who lives in the family home with her sister and uncle. The rest of the family is dead, having been poisoned at dinner years ago. The Blackwoods have become pariahs in town; Merricat is the only one who ventures out beyond the old, Gothic manse they call home. How the family came to be poisoned, and how the sisters have come to exist on the fringes of society are revealed as the book develops. This book is pure weird, psychological suspense. I loved it for that very reason, and stayed up half the night so that I could read this in one sitting. I was shocked to discover that Merricat is supposed to be eighteen. She behaves more like a stunted child than an adult. As unique as the characters are, it's the house that remains seared in my memory. When I think of this book, I think of the house, the castle, such as it is. The castle is a character in this book. It has a life, presence, and personality of its own. I would definitely recommend this book, especially as a classic for those who generally don't care for classics.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shirley Jackson does not write normal novels, but damn, she writes effective, quirky ones, and this is no exception. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this when I first started it, but by the end, I fully recognized the genius that went into this. Highly recommended.

[anniehidalgo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

That was such a quick read - finished it in two hours. Satisfyingly creepy. I think I still prefer The Haunting of Hill House. You could see where this one was going the whole way through, but it was still an entertaining ride. It has a few close relatives: Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", and Ruth Rendell's Heartstones. Felt like the protagonists deserved better than the fate that befell them, but then the best villains usually do.

[ebt1002 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This delightful short novel explores madness, persecution, and (sort of) redemption. Set in a small town in New England, the novel almost never leaves the house in which Constance and Mary Katherine (Merricat, our narrator) live with their Uncle Julian and the ever-present and ever-watching cat, Jonas. The introduction to my edition, written by Jonathan Lethem, is worth reading after completing the novel. He describes the three living in the "...grand house at the town's periphery, rehearsing past trauma and fending off change and self-knowledge." I wasn't sure what this meant when I first read the introduction, but after reading Shirley Jackson's work, this description resonated beautifully.When Cousin Charles comes to visit, the group of three (four? -- should one include the cat?) are no longer able to fend off change. Oh, but they do manage to fend off self-knowledge, in a most dramatic and haunting manner. I'm not even going to try to capture the multiple layers of this novel. I highly recommend it and am glad to have it on my shelf as a keeper.

[crochetbunnii · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Merricat and Constance are sisters living alone in their house outside their small village. As the story progresses, the reader come sot realize that their family has been murdered and Constance is to blame, as she cooks all of the family meals. In typical Jackson styles, this story takes a look at how ugly people can be to one another.

[prettydeadly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well that wasn't horrifying at all...

[imaginationzombie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is amazing. One of the best psychological suspense stories ever. Read it!

[upstairsgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Somehow, We Have Always Lived in the Castle manages to be both delightful and incredibly creepy. Jackson's narrator, Mary Katherine, leads the reader on a tour of sociopathology, horrifying groupthink, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and crippling agoraphobia as she and her sister Constance tremble through their lives as social outcasts, objects of fear and loathing but themselves fearing and loathing the village outside which their castle sits. Much as in Jackson's most widely-read short story, "The Lottery," the reader is presented with an upsetting view of social structure gone nightmarishly awry. The book is dark and upsetting, but also a quick, engaging read, and a brilliantly-written one at that. Johnathan Lethem's introduction to the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition offers some insights into Jackson's inspiration for the novel and the way in which Jackson is viewed as having split her own personality into the two Blackwood daughters. I rather wish I'd saved the introduction until after reading the book, as I think Lethem's lengthy discussion of the parallels between this story and "The Lottery" deprive the reader to some degree of discovering what is really going on under Mary Katherine's serious and rambling narration.

[isabelx_21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fridays and Tuesdays were terrible days, because I had to go into the village. Someone had to go to the library, and the grocery; Constance never went past her own garden, and Uncle Julian could not. Therefore it was not pride that took me into the village twice a week, or even stubbornness, but only the simple need for books and food."We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is narrated by 18-year-old Mary Katherine Blackwood, six years after four members of her family were poisoned at the dinner table. Now the remaining members of the family, Mary Katherine, her older sister Constance (who was tried and acquitted of the murders), and their Uncle Julian, live a cloistered existence at Blackwood Farm. A few old friends still come to see them, but they are ostracised by the villagers, who had it in for the family even before the murders.This is a really eerie story; none of the remaining Blackwoods are exactly stable, and you are kept wondering which of them was the poisoner, but you are also on their side against the relentlessly hostile villagers and scheming Cousin Charles.I started reading it on the train yesterday, and finished it in bed last night.

[tnociti-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable. Felt ghostly and creepy without being ghostly and creepy. Love Shirley Jackson! Her writing is so original and queer.

[ben_a_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The surprise for me was how completely I could enter into the mind of the protagonist: cut off from the growth of the world, with change a threat rather than a promise. Who would not seek talismans to protect and ward the precious things one has? Melody. Gloucester. Pegasus. Recommended."All cat stories begin with the statement: "my mother, who was the first cat, told me this"; and I lay with my head close to Jonas and listened.

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found the first chapter hard to get into, but after that I was hooked (in a sort of morbid fascination way). Mary Katherine (Merricat) goes to the village to buy groceries twice a week and brings them back to her family's fenced-in property, where she lives with her sister Constance, who never goes out, and her invalid uncle Julian. Six years ago Julian's wife and the sisters' parents and brother were poisoned to death with arsenic. Constance was tried for the crime and acquitted.There were very amusing scenes, e.g. when Lucille Wright visits, hoping to get a glimpse of the "scene of the crime", but mostly things get weirder and weirder. I was never sure how much of what Julian said was true and at points doubted if anyone was really who they appeared to be. By the end it is more or less clear what is going on (I think!) and I liked the idea of the food baskets (but what would they have done for toilet roll?!)

[arleblanc6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was an easy read. Not just because it has under 200 pages, but because it is a very good book. It's one of those books that keeps you wondering what is going to happen next.

[stouthearted_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A mysterious, quirky book that explore the issues of otherness and mob mentality. It certainly feels like a Shirley Jackson work, where a story starts out in a simple village, but then things escalate horrifyingly.In this tale Constance and Mary Katherine Blackwood, along with their disabled Uncle Julian, are the last remnants of one of the oldest families in the village, but they are all shunned by their neighbors and in turn lock themselves away from the world in their large house. The reader soon comes to learn that this is due to the violent deaths of the rest of the Blackwoods, including their parents and little brother by arsenic poisoning at the dinner table. Constance, who cooked for the family, was blamed but acquitted in a court of law, but not in the court of public opinion. Things shake up for the Blackwoods when a cousin arrives and starts taking liberties with the family, much to Mary Katherine's disgust. It culminates in a shocking climax in this tale of gothic horror.There are lots of similarities to Jackson's "The Lottery," so if you enjoyed that, then you will love this. The most striking comparison is a critique of village life and its symbiotic thinking, especially when reacting to "otherness." The town is unnecessarily cruel to the Blackwoods as a reaction to their fear of them and it compels them to bring out the darkest parts of their characters. Mary Katherine has been cited as one of the most memorable characters in fiction, and she is an interesting one to try to figure out. As I read, I couldn't decide if she was mentally ill, a sociopath, merely a victim, or a ghost. This book provides an interesting character study of a disturbed family, in an equally disturbed environment.

[laurat81 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love We Have Always Lived In The Castle! Such a strange tale with wonderful characters. I've only read Jackson's "The Lottery" before this, but I think she has the gift of UNFORGETTABLE.

[sharonmariabidwell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first introduction to Shirley Jackson’s work, though I’m sure it won’t be my last. This is a masterful story. A disquieting tale that’s not quite what it seems, with a creeping and insidious uneasiness. It’s a strange mix of humour, sadness, innocence, and wickedness that has no real surprises and yet is surprising even so. The story extends beyond those in the house to become a doleful look at a small community throws a larger uglier light on society.

[theyodamom · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I got to page 27 and just didn't want to read anymore. i avoided picking it up for two days. It just didn't grab my interest and there seemed to be a lot on inner dialog, which isn't for me. I'm quitting

[jinjer-641812 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The scariest monsters and demons are our fellow human beings. Neighbors in our local communities. Average men, women, and children who have a fear and hatred of anyone different from themselves. The way this community treats Merricat and Constance is just awful. Shame on them.

I love the writing in this book:

Mary Katherine reading off the grocery list to Mr. Elbert, the grocer: "A box of peanut brittle," I said; Uncle Julian would clatter and crunch over his papers tonight, and go to bed sticky."

And this, about Jonas, her cat. "And Jonas regarded me in wide-eyed astonishment, that I should attempt to make decisions for him." 

I couldn't put this book down and look forward to watching the movie next.