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

Amazing story, very sad in many ways for the sisters. We meet two sisters and their uncle living in their old manor house. The sisters are Constance (Connie) and Mary Catherine (Merricat) Blackwood and Uncle Julian. In the beginning, it is Marricat's day to go into the village to get food and supplies. She heads off through their woods and into the village, she hates going into the village for everyone hates her. When she gets to the grocers she's treated with disdain but is waited upon, she orders her supplies and goes to head out the door when she hears the whisperings, laughing, and jeers start. She then stops at a small cafe where she's treated a little better by the owner until one of the men comes in and starts accusing her of the rumor going around that she, her sister, and their uncle Julian are moving. But it isn't true. She finally escapes and then runs into some boys who begin taunting her and she finally makes it safely home, where she's greeted by her cat.

After seeing her sister Connie, they put the supplies away and soon are met with some visitors. I lady who has been very kind to them and she brings an older woman with her, although this makes Marricat very upset for she worries about Connie. However, Connie does well in meeting with the ladies, and uncle Julian comes out when he hears the woman talking about folks being afraid to visit. He states nobody would be afraid to visit for Connie was acquitted of a crime. We soon learn that their parents, brother, and aunt were killed by arsenic poisoning and Connie was the prime suspect but was acquitted. However, most in the village still believed her to be a murderer and that is why they were so mistreated. Soon after the ladies leave another visitor comes that evening, a cousin Charles and Marricat really does not trust him. He seems to try to get on Connie's good side and gain her trust. Really all he's after is their money. After some time of him being there, a fire breaks out in their home and the fire department does come but so do the villagers who after the fire is out start throwing rocks at the house and damaging the property inside the home, which wasn't already damaged by the fire.

So, do the girls escape? What of their uncle Julian? Is he safe? What happens to their home? and Do who really did kill their family? Read on to find out!

This story was so well written and kept my interest the whole way through. I love the old style of writing where it was more lyrical than today's books but still with dynamic dialogue. An even balance of dialogue and scenery. Truly a story that will keep you guessing the whole way through and keep you so invested in their girls' lives and in the end root for them.