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A review by v_larr
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
4.0
3.5 stars.
I think the best way to describe this book is…interesting. I can definitely see this as the type of book that is studied in high school literature.
Above anything else, this book is a character introspective. There is not a lot of action in this book, but there is a lot of description and a lot of thinking. The fear factor, or rather unsettling factor, is when we get inside Merricat’s head. She’s such a fascinating character, and an incredibly unreliable narrator.
The first paragraph is famous for a reason, and it really tells you everything you need to know about Merricat. The depiction of her introduction, with her wonder and fantasy thinking to her enthusiasm over poisonous mushrooms right to the almost aftermath of a statement that her family is dead, really sums up her character.
The unsettling thing about Merricat is how quickly she’s capable of switching from relatively innocent thoughts to very deadly ones. She has this childlike quality to her that is kind of unusual for someone her age. Lots of imagining, superstition, beliefs in magic, daydreaming. Is this a coping mechanism as a result of all the hate she’s had to endure? Is it her escapism? But these thoughts become very dark very fast, to thoughts of demons and ghosts, and wishes of death. She thinks things like this very often, when people taunt her on the street, glare at her, judge from afar, she daydreams of walking over their corpses. And it’s this seamless switch between these opposing ideas that really kept me reading.
Because really, nothing much actually happens in this book. We learn of the family’s routine, of how the others died. Cousin Charles comes to visit, and Merricat hates him. The house burns, people come and attack it, Uncle Julian dies. Constance and Merricat learn to live in the destroyed house.
But it’s the way Merricat reacts to all of these things that is just so enticing. Her thoughts about Charles had me genuinely believing he was a bad person, a bad omen. But when I think more objectively, I think he was just greedy, and his distaste of Merricat was more due to her actions.
What I can’t understand very well, and I’m excited to talk about in book club, is Uncle Julian and Constance. These characters are very confusing to me. But the dynamic between Constance and Merricat is very intriguing as well. There’s this codependence relying on toxicity, manipulation, and refusal to change, that Constance almost escaped with the help of Charles, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Another thing to note is that the action, when it did occur, was incredibly gripping. The entire sequence of the house fire had me at the edge of my seat.
I can’t help but feel sad for the characters at the end of this book. While Merricat has gotten what she wanted all along, looking from the outside, it seems a little heartbreaking. And the title ties it all up in a way I didn’t expect when I first started the book.
I think Jackson is a very unique author, and I’d love to read her other works. I might look into criticisms and analyses of this one as well, since I don’t really have the time to go through it myself.
I think the best way to describe this book is…interesting. I can definitely see this as the type of book that is studied in high school literature.
Above anything else, this book is a character introspective. There is not a lot of action in this book, but there is a lot of description and a lot of thinking. The fear factor, or rather unsettling factor, is when we get inside Merricat’s head. She’s such a fascinating character, and an incredibly unreliable narrator.
The first paragraph is famous for a reason, and it really tells you everything you need to know about Merricat. The depiction of her introduction, with her wonder and fantasy thinking to her enthusiasm over poisonous mushrooms right to the almost aftermath of a statement that her family is dead, really sums up her character.
The unsettling thing about Merricat is how quickly she’s capable of switching from relatively innocent thoughts to very deadly ones. She has this childlike quality to her that is kind of unusual for someone her age. Lots of imagining, superstition, beliefs in magic, daydreaming. Is this a coping mechanism as a result of all the hate she’s had to endure? Is it her escapism? But these thoughts become very dark very fast, to thoughts of demons and ghosts, and wishes of death. She thinks things like this very often, when people taunt her on the street, glare at her, judge from afar, she daydreams of walking over their corpses. And it’s this seamless switch between these opposing ideas that really kept me reading.
Because really, nothing much actually happens in this book. We learn of the family’s routine, of how the others died. Cousin Charles comes to visit, and Merricat hates him. The house burns, people come and attack it, Uncle Julian dies. Constance and Merricat learn to live in the destroyed house.
But it’s the way Merricat reacts to all of these things that is just so enticing. Her thoughts about Charles had me genuinely believing he was a bad person, a bad omen. But when I think more objectively, I think he was just greedy, and his distaste of Merricat was more due to her actions.
What I can’t understand very well, and I’m excited to talk about in book club, is Uncle Julian and Constance. These characters are very confusing to me. But the dynamic between Constance and Merricat is very intriguing as well. There’s this codependence relying on toxicity, manipulation, and refusal to change, that Constance almost escaped with the help of Charles, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Another thing to note is that the action, when it did occur, was incredibly gripping. The entire sequence of the house fire had me at the edge of my seat.
I can’t help but feel sad for the characters at the end of this book. While Merricat has gotten what she wanted all along, looking from the outside, it seems a little heartbreaking. And the title ties it all up in a way I didn’t expect when I first started the book.
I think Jackson is a very unique author, and I’d love to read her other works. I might look into criticisms and analyses of this one as well, since I don’t really have the time to go through it myself.