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A review by robinainthood
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a clever and charming read! I definitely need to give this a second pass at some point.
All I can say is the best thing Jackson could've done was write this from Mary Katherine's perspective; sweet, poor Merricat. It's claustrophobic, absurd, sinister, unsettling; all while managing to make me laugh at the right times (and the wrong ones). It's being stuck in the past, it's refusing to let go, it's being the ghost that haunts the house and being the house itself. It's about sacrifice, insanity, and above all: fear.
And the dialogue! What a joy to read - it may have been my favorite element.
All I can say is the best thing Jackson could've done was write this from Mary Katherine's perspective; sweet, poor Merricat. It's claustrophobic, absurd, sinister, unsettling; all while managing to make me laugh at the right times (and the wrong ones). It's being stuck in the past, it's refusing to let go, it's being the ghost that haunts the house and being the house itself. It's about sacrifice, insanity, and above all: fear.
And the dialogue! What a joy to read - it may have been my favorite element.