"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson

 Year of Publication:  1962

Length:  158 pages

Genre:  Mystery, thriller

Mary Katherine Blackwood (or "Merricat" as her sister calls her) is 18 years old and lives with her 28 year old sister Constance, and elderly, wheelchair-bound Uncle Julian in the large Blackwood family mansion.  Constance was accused of poisoning the rest of the family six years previously, but was acquitted due to lack of evidence.  The residents of the nearby village either hate the Blackwoods or regard them as objects of morbid curiosity.  One day, the sister's Cousin Charles arrives and invites himself to stay.  Constance appears to be taken in by his charm, but Merricat mistrusts and hates him.  Charles himself appears to be most interested in the contents of their father's safe.  Merricat however is determined to go to any lengths necessary to protect her family.

Author Shirley Jackson is possible best known for her novel The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and her short story "The Lottery" (1948).  As with much of Jackson's work, this deals with the cruelty of seemingly "nice" American small towns, and with outsiders finding a place for themselves, even if it is outside of life itself.  The story is told through the disarming eyes of Merricat, who despite introducing herself as being 18 years old, sounds as if she is much younger.  She is a mix of innocent but streetwise, naive but intuitive, gentle and fiercely loyal to those she loves, but also completely psychotic.  Constance never leaves the Blackwood estate, but Merricat makes trips to the village when necessary to pick up groceries and run messages.  Frequently insulted and mocked by the villagers, Merricat indulges in alarmingly vivid revenge fantasies.  She also indulges in more innocent fantasies of winged horses, and a life far away on the Moon.  A strong believer in witchcraft and magic, Merricat sets up charms, and buries special objects in order to set up protective spells around their home.  Despite taking on the mother role, Constance appears frightened of Merricat.  She seems to have an urge and possibility of emerging into the outside world, but is held back by Merricat who hates and fears any type of change.   Charles may be a thief and a monster, but it appears that he may be good for Constance, allowing her to enter the world again, and the conflict between him and Merricat is really a tug of war for the soul of Constance, less of an angel and demon, but two demons, which I suppose is as much as one may expect these days.  This isn't really a mystery, although it is kind of set up as one.  You'll probably figure out who killed the Blackwoods very early on, but it doesn't really spoil the book.  Despite her implicit monstrousness, Merricat is a likeable character, and it is a great pleasure to spend time with her and Constance in the pages of the book.  Eventually they become fairytale characters in their own castle, a happy ending for Merricat, but perhaps less so for Constance, and we leave them as we do the residents of Hill House, to walk alone.