Books › We Have Always Lived in the Castle
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
First published 1962 · 284 pages
A deliciously unsettling descent into the minds of two isolated sisters who will do anything to protect their fragile, eccentric sanctuary.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like being invited to a lovely, poisoned tea party. The narrative traps you inside the mind of an utterly unforgettable, deeply unreliable protagonist whose childlike observations make the creeping dread all the more effective. The pace is steady and deliberate, building a claustrophobic atmosphere of isolation and paranoia within a decaying family estate. Jackson's prose is chillingly precise, weaving a darkly comic and unsettling spell that makes you sympathize with the outcasts rather than the normal society outside their gates. It is a masterpiece of psychological gothic fiction that will delight readers who love fierce, twisted sisterhoods and stories where the monsters are the ones you find yourself rooting for.
- Mood
- claustrophobic
- unsettling
- dread-soaked
- eccentric
- Tone
- darkly comic
- matter-of-fact
- unreliable
- eerie
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- fierce sisterhood · social isolation · the cruelty of crowds · domesticity as defense · the embrace of otherness
- The writing
- Deceptively simple and rhythmic, utilizing a childlike cadence that brilliantly masks deep psychological horror.
- The arc
- Begins in a fragile, eccentric equilibrium, escalates through a chaotic intrusion, and culminates in a triumphant, deeply disturbing permanent withdrawal from the world.
- Who it's for
- Fans of unreliable narrators and gothic atmospheres who root for the weird girls to win, whatever the cost.
Content notes
- murder by poisoning
- mob violence
- agoraphobia
- mental illness
About the book
Shirley Jackson's beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family's dark secret
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate. This edition features a new introduction by Jonathan Lethem.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Description from Open Library.
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