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

5.0

"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 our family is dead."

thus begins the amazing story of merricat and her journey.

anyone who knows me knows how much i adore and love this book. the atmosphere and humor are just perfect. this is my go-to book rec for literally anyone. it has sisters, magic, murder—what isn't to like?

merricat's voice in this book is so incredibly inticing; it's so easy to get lost in the intricacies of her thoughts. she is a girl who needs to protect her home and family. she thinks of isolation as one of the most important parts of her life.

while reading this book, i found myself relating to merricat intensely

Spoiler

(besides the murder of course)

, and i definitely think that she has autism. she struggles with social skills and prefers isolation; her life revolves around her routines.

when charles, her cousin comes to visit, her boundaries begin to crumble in front of her. what happens next? shirley jackson gives an amazing answer:

"Oh Constance, we are so happy."