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We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle

By: Shirley Jackson
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
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Shirley Jackson’s deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family takes readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, macabre humor, and gothic atmosphere.

Six years after four family members died suspiciously of arsenic poisoning, the three remaining Blackwoods—elder, agoraphobic sister Constance; wheelchair-bound Uncle Julian; and eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine, or, Merricat—live together in pleasant isolation. Merricat has developed an idiosyncratic system of rules and protective magic to guard the estate against intrusions from hostile villagers. But one day a stranger arrives—cousin Charles, with his eye on the Blackwood fortune—and manages to penetrate into their carefully shielded lives. Unable to drive him away by either polite or occult means, Merricat adopts more desperate methods, resulting in crisis, tragedy, and the revelation of a terrible secret.

Jackson’s novel emerges less as a study in eccentricity and more—like some of her other fictions—as a powerful critique of the anxious, ruthless processes involved in the maintenance of normalcy itself.

©1962 Shirley Jackson (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Genre Fiction Gothic Horror Literary Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Mind-bending Cats
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Critic reviews

“At certain moments, quietly, in quick, subtle transitions of tone, Miss Jackson can summon up stark terror, make your blood chill and your scalp prickle....To all the classic paraphernalia of the spook story, she adds a touch of Freud….” ( New York Times Book Review)
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Not terror, not a thriller, not a whodunit, but a tale about isolation and herd culture with elements from all of those genres. Shirley Jackson’s surprisingly beautiful prose really brings the feeling of being out of touch with reality to the reader.

I understand it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d recommend giving it a try for the originality of the plot and the rich, multi-layered characters and scenes. The reader does an outstanding job of voicing Merricat’s alienated view of the world.

Unusual story and writing style, captivating.

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I enjoyed the story but always felt like I was waiting for some twist to be revealed. There is beauty in its subtleties, though.

Waiting feeling.

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this is something completely different from what I would normally listen to but I'd have to say that I did enjoy it. It moved at a nice pace and the narration was quite good

something a bit different

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it was very predictable but I found myself engrossed in the story and characters!

quite predictable but enjoyable nonetheless

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Absolutely adored listening to this. It was my first Shirley Jackson and I will undoubtedly read more of hers. Some incredible writing; the tension building and gradual reveal exposition, alongside a first person narrative form a child's perspective worked so so well. I also loved the dark humour at the end, it made me cackle. It was reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca in a lot of ways, so if you enjoyed either then I'd recommend reading the other.

A New Favourite

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