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

dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Jackson yet again manages to weave a story that makes her books borderline impossible to put down. I came off of the heels of her other novel, The Haunting of Hill House, full of high expectations as that had quickly become one of my favourites of all time and can confidently say this book may be even better. Her narrator, Merricat (Mary Katherine) often slips into fantasies and we see the lines are so blurred between her fantasy and her reality that we're drawn into it in equal measure. There are very few named characters who are prominent, as is the same with Hill House, but I find that this is a great way to make sure the story doesn't become too crowded and there is plenty of room in it for painstaking detail to character. I think this is an essential read if you enjoy gothic fiction, and feeling unsettled by a story.
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