I enjoyed reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson last year and her final novel ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ published in 1962 three years before Jackson’s death tells the story of eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood who lives with her older sister, Constance, and their uncle, Julian, on a large secluded estate in New England. Six years earlier, half of the Blackwood family including Merricat and Constance’s parents were poisoned when the sugar bowl used at dinner was laced with arsenic. Although Constance was acquitted of the murders, the three surviving Blackwoods remain isolated from the rest of their small village. However, the arrival of their cousin Charles threatens their future and Merricat becomes increasingly suspicious of the real reason why he has suddenly turned up out of the blue.
‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ doesn’t feature the supernatural elements which were central to ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ but the novels definitely share a disturbing and unsettling atmosphere of ambiguity, dread and weirdness. In particular, Merricat is a fascinating character and an unreliable one. On the cusp of adulthood and deeply affected by past events, she appears to be naive in some respects but also very knowing in others and the matter-of-fact bluntness of her tone as a narrator makes it easy to forget that some of the more alarming details she reveals are as twisted and shocking as they are.
Since her acquittal, Constance has become agoraphobic never venturing further than the garden while Julian is an invalid with dementia who obsessively recounts the day of the family tragedy, leaving Merricat to manage the household herself and face the whispers of gossiping villagers whenever she goes out shopping. The small-minded prejudices of their neighbours and superficial concerns of their cousin only increases the Blackwood family’s desire to be left alone. While the identity of the real poisoner is no surprise, the conclusion is odd and unexpected – a fitting ending of sorts if there can be such a thing for the Blackwoods.
I think I enjoyed ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ more while reading it but ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ is a brilliant evocation of the fear of the unknown and has been lingering in my mind since I finished it. I’m planning to read some of Shirley Jackson’s short stories in the near future as well as Ruth Franklin’s biography about her life.
A Little Blog of Books 
Great review of a great book! Shirley Jackson is such a master. I haven’t gotten to her biography yet but it’s on my list, hope to see your review of it at some point.
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Thanks! Yes, from what I know, she sounds like a very interesting person with a very interesting life!
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Love this book but it has been a while since I read it. I think it must be reread soon. Excellent review.
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Thanks!
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I’ve been meaning to read this for ages.
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Hope you get to it at some point – it’s definitely worth reading.
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Love The Haunting of Hill House and her short stories.
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I really want to read her short stories next!
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I keep meaning to read more by Shirley Jackson; I only ever read her story “The Lottery,” in high school. Lizzi R. from These Little Words recommended this for my first longer work by Jackson to read over Halloween. I’ll have to see if I can find it at a library.
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Hope you get hold of a copy – I read The Haunting of Hill House in October last year and it’s definitely a good Halloween read.
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I loved this book. Merricat is such a wonderful creation.
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Wow, this sounds like an interesting read. Should I have read The Haunting of House Hill before reading this?
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No, they are separate novels so it doesn’t matter which order you read them in.
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I love this book!
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Hi, I loved Shirley Jacksons ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ a wonderful suspense horror/thriller. Very hard to find a good horror story that is intelligently written and plays superbly on suspense. I love Shirley Jacksons writing style and element of the unusual in her work, for that reason I might try this book. Loving your blog.
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Thanks! If you liked The Haunting of Hill House, I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one too.
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Sounds like a good read and i don’t do scary
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This sounds an interesting novel. I am definately going to read this one. Thanks!!
http://www.booksoul.in/
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Someone I follow was hilarious about We Have Always Lived… saying it was so hammy and corny, and it is a tiny bit predictable, but I think it’s more memorable for things not being completely unexpected – it just evokes very thoroughly a feeling of unease and of differentness.
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Yes, I agree!
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I have always been a fan of Gothic literature and had this novel on my list for ages, after your insightful and delightful review, I need to start it very soon.
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Brilliant, thank you and hope you enjoy it!
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I am sure that I will love it.
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Goodness, Shirley Jackson is one of my absolute FAVORITE writers of all time. I first read the lottery and fell in love with the thrill and deceptiveness of her writing style.
I loved the narrator of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. She is a bad seed and by her being narrator, I really felt as though I was able to enter her mind and experience the events of he story as they were unraveling.
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Hello Clare. I’ve just discovered your lovely blog. I keep meaning to read We Have Always Lived in The Castle – I too very much enjoyed The Haunting Of Hill House. Hope I can find time to squeeze it in before the film comes out this year.
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Yes, I’m looking forward to the film too!
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