It is one of those books where each and every sentence is crafted in the most meticulous manner, where every word has a meaning and needs to be pondered on for their full meaning to become apparent.
Basically-explained, We Have Always Lived in the Castle tells the story of three family members who live isolated in their castle estate, hated by the locals who mistreat them at every opportunity. Soon though, cousin Charlie arrives out of nowhere, and attempts to convince Constance, the narrator’s sister, to move away from this life he considers unnatural. Soon, all the characters feel as if what they have is threatened by someone else, sending the reader on a slow journey through human madness.
If there is one thing that this book manages to do better than everything else, it’s making sure that you remember it, or at the very least how it ended. Just like other Shirley Jackson stories, this one has a rather shocking twist at the end, one that will make cold sweat run through your forehead at the prospect of humans being not only such horrible and cruel creatures, but also lacking pity and morality as a consequence of madness.
Speaking of madness, the way the story descends into it truly is interesting, mostly because we see it happen from the narrator’s perspective. Indeed, Merricat, our narrator, isn’t exactly mentally-stable, adding another layer of doubt and mystery to the whole story, because we also have to deal with an unreliable narrator.
In other words, part of this book at least seems dedicated to the idea that once madness sets in and the lines between truth and personal fiction become blurred, various psychological barriers break down and what was once considered unacceptable and irrational can now seem reasonable.
If you are the type of reader who is capable of getting invested in books and are looking for a stranger kind of novel dealing with the human psyche, this is a story you’ll definitely want to pick up.
 | Shirley Jackson |
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