Book Review — We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Opening with my favourite character introduction of all time, Jackson sets the tone for this odd thriller that defies expectation. Young Mary Kate Blackwood lives with her sister and uncle in the spacious family pile. The actual location and time are largely irrelevant; this book is deliberately timeless. They pootle through their offbeat but pleasant existence, Merricat (as Mary Kate os affectionately known) dropping enticing breadcrumbs of backstory as we go, until a visit from their long-lost cousin upsets the balance of their insular life. This reads like a classic tale of the supernatural in the vein of Herbert's "Haunted" or Amenábar's "The Others". Even though the book is set in Spring, it feels fitting to be picking it up at the start of Autumn. Merricat's narration is brilliant; a child-like naïvety infuses her blasé renditions of the bizarre events that is this family's normal. Her magic (or is it superstition?) adds another layer to this all encompassing mystery — how much…