“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in our family is dead.”
Do not even consider yourself a psychological thriller fanatic if you have not read Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Released in 1962, this short gothic mystery delves into the uncanny mind of Mary Katherine Blackwood and the life of her mysterious family. Merricat is a meticulous person with a vivid imagination. She has certain likes and dislikes and looks at the world with a child-like awe and mysticism.
The locals have always hated the Blackwoods and their opinions worsened six years prior when rumors revealed that Constance, Merricat’s older sister, killed the rest of the family by poisoning their dinner with arsenic. Their scrutiny and taunts keep the Blackwoods secluded away on their property. Merricat is content with the way things are, living with Constance and roaming around the estate with her cat, Jonas, but her world shatters with the arrival of an unwanted visitor.
Charles Blackwood is the sisters’ cousin and he is here to visit his relatives and help out in any way he can. Merricat is unable to warm up to him due to her fear of change. Her worst suspicions come through and her life at the Blackwood Manor is at peril when she finds out about Charles’ true motivations. She is forced to act when Charles outstays his welcome and does not want to leave. She is willing to do anything to get rid of him, even if it means risking everything she finds dear.
I first picked up We Have Always Lived in the Castle back when I was fifteen. I did not understand the nuances of Miss Jackson’s writing back then and dubbed the novel as boring and lackluster. Four years later, I picked it up for a college assignment, and let me tell you, this reread changed the trajectory of my life.
It felt like I had opened my eyes for the very first time. Merricat is such an eccentric and well-written character. Reading from her point of view fills you with a sense of dread and wrongness that brilliantly sets the eerie and foreboding atmosphere of the novel. Her quirks and morbidity seem so natural and don’t feel as forced as in some recent novels these days. I love unreliable narrators and Merricat is a perfect example of it. You end up rooting for her and hoping that Cousin Charles leaves even though you can tell that there is something so very off about her. I love that Merricat’s conviction in her magic and superstitions makes you believe that it is real in the story. Jackson delivers a Masterclass on characterization and world-building. Her writing style is so clear and precise, with each word deliberately chosen to creep the hell out of you. The twists pack quite a punch and I was left flabbergasted even during my reread. MC is a tantalizing and engaging anti-hero till the very last page.
If you want to experience a rollercoaster of madness, paranoia, bizarreness, apprehension, and sinisterness, add this sordid tale to your TBR list!
My Rating: 4.6/5
Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea?
Oh no, said Merricat, you’ll poison me.
Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep?
Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!
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Naina muses 