We Have Always Lived in the Castle

“Fate intervened. Some of us, that day, she led inexorably through the gates of death. Some of us, innocent and unsuspecting, took, unwillingly, that one last step to oblivion. Some of us took very little sugar.”

Imagine your parents, younger brother, and aunt died of arsenic poisoning and your sister gets charged (then later acquitted) of their deaths, leading to the town ostracising the both of you. Imagine that, and you get the plot of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle certainly has a creepy atmosphere that is akin to previous Gothic pieces of literature, but is it horror? No, I wouldn't exactly say that. I'd call it a gothic drama depicting a family ostracised from society after one of them was accused of murder. While I believe Jackson does a great job of depicting ordinary human beings as the true monsters, I did have some issues with the plot, especially with the whole arsenic-in-the-sugar debacle. I felt as if the motive behind the poisoning was never explained, the "why" if you will.

If you go into this book thinking it's going to be a horror story, you'll end up disappointed as it is more closely aligned with psychological suspense. That being said, it was definitely an entertaining read. It had a strong start (however this weakens by the end), but it has memorable and interesting characters (including a great unreliable narrator in the form of Merrikat, the sister of the accused murderer), and a simplistic writing style which I think adds to the unsettling nature of the story.

If you're a fan of Gothic texts and suspenseful stories with a terrifyingly realistic plot, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the perfect book for you. If you're new to the genre and want to ease your way in with something that's chilling but won't keep you up at night, this book is also perfect for you.