Paperback, 146 pages
English language
Published Oct. 31, 2006 by Penguin Books.
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.
it was nice to read a straightforward morality tale that didn't pertain to any of today's oppressed groups. as a 'mystery' it sprinkled plenty of clues for readers to grab hold of, and I liked the interlude where we get in Merricat's head to clarify she's an unreliable narrator. in many ways it reminded me of Grey Gardens and its recluse sisters? (mother/daughter?)
The reader finds themself taking part in the perplexing day-to-day lives of the remaining Blackwood family through the puzzling eyes of Miss "Merricat" Blackwood. This world has you always feeling that something is not quite right; from the villagers, to the Blackwood family, and the settings themselves, the lurking unease never leaves. This work is beautifully crafted but, upon finishing, I was left wondering why I had ever picked it up to begin with. (3.5/5)
Eerie and strange and filled with the narrator's own cluttered, wild imagination. Very difficult to put down.
