Take a photo of a barcode or cover
anna_hepworth 's review for:
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Shirley Jackson
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I get that Jackson is lauded, and that this has been described as their last and best book. And it is incredibly well written, with a whole lot of fabulous detail and wonderfully written people, and should be my kind of thing. And it wasn't. I kept getting distracted, and going off to do other things. If I hadn't had a deadline I might never have finished it.
Overall, I feel about it the way I did *The Haunting of Hill House* - lightly bored. The characters are well written but I didn't care about them. There might have been supposed to be creepiness (less so in this one than the other) but it has bypassed me entirely.
I do wonder if this is a cultural uncanny valley thing. That I'm too distant in either time or place (not being from the USA) and thus am missing significant nuance that would bring this story sharply in to focus.
Overall, I feel about it the way I did *The Haunting of Hill House* - lightly bored. The characters are well written but I didn't care about them. There might have been supposed to be creepiness (less so in this one than the other) but it has bypassed me entirely.
I do wonder if this is a cultural uncanny valley thing. That I'm too distant in either time or place (not being from the USA) and thus am missing significant nuance that would bring this story sharply in to focus.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Abandonment