We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is Shirley Jackson’s suspenseful, disturbing, wonderful last novel. This short novel focuses on three members of the Blackwood family: a young woman named Constance, her younger sister Mary Katherine (nicknamed Merricat), and their Uncle Julian. These three are the remnants of a family, all that remain after an episode of arsenic poisoning that killed most members of the Blackwood family and left Uncle Julian debilitated 6 years before. Constance, a kind, gentle, selfless soul, and the family chef, was accused of the poisoning. She was acquitted, but the residents of their small town view the surviving Blackwoods with suspicion and fear. Constance, Merricat and Uncle Julian mostly stay isolated at home. Only Merricat reluctantly ventures into town twice a week for groceries. The identity of the poisoner is a mystery.
The narrator, 18-year-old Merricat, is clearly insane. She faithfully reports all conversations and all of her own (often bizarre) thoughts and actions, while admitting to many a death-wish for those she dislikes. She exhibits all manner of magical thinking (warding off bad luck by nailing a particular book to a tree and burying marbles and silver dollars in specific locations). She indicates her displeasure with carefully planned retaliatory acts of destruction, e.g., smashing valuable mirrors. Her interpretation of events and her preposterous logic are terribly flawed, although often laugh-out-loud comical for the reader, who fortunately does not have to live with Merricat. Despite all these shortcomings, Jackson’s Merricat somehow manages to be an engaging, likeable, and sympathetic character.
Things fall apart when Cousin Charles comes to stay with them; he has designs on Constance, the elegant Blackwood mansion, and the family’s substantial savings. Merricat resents having Charles in their home and develops a hatred for him, with tragic, life-altering results.
This is a unique book, narrated by a delightful young madwoman, with a dramatic climax and a satisfying dénouement. 5 of 5 stars.