oftheolivetree 's review for:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle is an incredibly dark and compelling story as told by the survivors of a mass murder. Both ethereal and grim, the story discusses the concepts of othering and dehumanization, and begs the question of who the true villain is:

Merricat, Charles, the Village, or all 3

? Delightfully pervasive and gothic, I highly recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Classism

Minor: Sexism

Shirley Jackson faced a lot of anti-semitism and othering while living in Bennington, Vermont, where this story takes place. Jackson prompts the discussion of the othering and dehumanization that marginalized communities experience as imposed by society.