We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Book Recommendation – Literary Horror - Must Read

Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Author: Shirley Jackson

Media Type: Book

Type: Fiction

Genre: Horror, Literature

There are very few books or movies that actually scare me. I love reading horror, I love the suspense and the mystery. But when dealing with the supernatural my overused and very loud right brain always forcefully states that giant spiders and possessive demons are not real. I have to agree with Beetlejuice when he said, “I've seen The Exorcist about 167 times, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT!”

     Then I read something written by Shirley Jackson. My mouthy right brain hides under the covers and latches the shutters. My left brain starts shivering, I imagine, no I know things are burrowing under my skin.

     We Have Always Lived in the Castle is told in the first person by the narrator Mary Katherine Blackwood. She starts her story by explaining that she wished she’d been born a werewolf, loves death-cap mushrooms and, except for her sister Constance, everyone in her family is dead. The question is: How did they get dead?

     In this novel, as with her other works, Shirley Jackson doesn’t so much write about nightmare monsters as writes about nightmare people and their subtle, evil prejudicial ways. Like Dame Agatha Christie, Jackson saw through the veneer of polite society down into the nasty roots of jealousy, greed and ego. The mood Jackson creates in We Have Always Live in the Castle is dark and claustrophobic. There is no angelic detective rushing to save the day.

     Though Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, CA, her stories are often set and pickled in the witch-hunt paranoid vinegar of old New England. Her worlds contain perversely polite towns filled with people who gladly and quietly drive anyone who dares to be different into a lonely madness. Jackson’s stories, especially this one, are potent brews made of one part H. P. Lovecraft, one part Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights), and a whole lot of Nathaniel Hawthorne (House of Seven Gables, The Scarlet Letter).

     I highly recommend this book and suggest you dedicate a whole day or weekend to reading it. Shut out your world and fully immerse yourself into Mary Katherine Blackwood’s. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a perfect Autumn or Winter read. Warning: You’ll want a cozy fire, warm afghan, strong hot toddy and a very large dog nearby to protect you when the “neighbors” come knocking at your door.

Kindle: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Paperback: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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Publisher: Penguin Books

Copyright Date: 1962
ISBN-10: 0140071075

• ISBN-13: 978-0140071078 

ASIN: B004SS1MH0

Suggested Audience: Adult, Young Adult, Teen

Keywords: Fiction, horror, literature, Shirley Jackson, New England, castle, novel, author, writer, Holiday gift, birthday gift, gift, Halloween, book, read, book recommendation, magic, mystery, murder