We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
1:56 AM
Publisher: Penguin Classics
ISBN13: 9780143039976
Genre: Young Adult
Review by Geraldine
Synopsis (Goodreads.com):
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.
My Thoughts (Spoiler-Free):
I'm not going to lie, part of the reason I bought this book was because of the gorgeous cover! Oh, and everyone kept raving about how amazing it was that I just had to check it out (I didn't know if I would like it though). But boy, do I understand the hype around it now! It ended up surpassing my expectations entirely!
When it came to the characters I thought they were really well developed and I really loved the dialog and descriptions the author gave them. Also, the characters from town, uncle Julian, and cousin Charles gave the story that extra "umph" to make it more interesting. Even though Charles turned out to be someone that I really didn't like in the story, I think he was part of the reason the story came to life!
I thought the writing was fantastic! Some of the lines Shirley Jackson wrote really had me sitting there in deep thought for a good amount of time. But really, I'm still thinking.
There wasn't much to dislike about this book except that it was left open ended for me. I like getting all my questions answered at the end of the book and this book definitely didn't do that for me (I just have a problem with endings to books in general). But yet, I didn't think it was a dislike of mine necessarily because leaving it open-ended for the readers went well with the storyline and the book as a whole. Also, some people might say that the beginning (chapter 1) was really slow but looking back on it, it helped set everything up for the rest of the story.
As for the things I loved, I loved how original the storyline was! Also, I will admit that I loved to hate the open-ended ending. Today, at this very moment I am still thinking about the book and what really happened. THAT is how you know an author did a great job, when the book is literally still stuck in your head.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I definitely plan on reading more of Jackson's work in the future! 4 stars!
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