A review by _forestofpages
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This family is the kind of dysfunctional I love to read; dark and dramatic, loving and dangerous. Even to each other. Especially to each other.

Shirley Jackson has a way of making even a house have a personality; her worlds are so atmospheric and odd, with characters that are so memorable. The Blackwoods will live in my head rent free for life. 

If you are excpecting a horror or action packed thriller, this isn't that. This is a slower paced family drama with dark themes and a lot of downtime. The main characters may or may not be mass murderes, and finding out what happened to the family is the mystery element, but isn't that hard to predict. 

The main focus is a family with trauma and darkness trying to heal and live in a town that hates them. It was an incredible and unique time that I will be revisiting.
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