We Have Always Lived in the Castle cover art

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

$8.99/mo after trial ends. Cancel anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

By: Shirley Jackson
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
Try for $0.00

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.69

Buy Now for $22.69

About this listen

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

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)
All stars
Most relevant
Not sure why people call it creepy, maybe my level of creepy is higher than others. It's a lovely sad little story that is filled with melancholy. A nice short piece of work I listened too while painting a mural. 10/10 would recommend for any style of literary fan

Lonely but beautiful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I read this for book club and can’t say I “enjoyed” it. I found her world disturbing and chilling and the overall darkness uncomfortable - I didn’t like being inside Mary Kats mind. Just not my cup of tea, really.

Book club book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A welcome relief from the usual tropes, this delightfully quirky piece of fiction was very satisfying. A tale, primarily I guess, about small town America bigotry, bullying and hate, it lays bare a very ugly side to human behaviour. Not far in from the getgo we begin to get a sense of the truth of the pivotal mystery, from the language of the narrator - the disarming and slightly odd Mary Catherine. Her sister Constance is somewhat offered as the protagonist, but really, this is Mary Cat's story as much as Connie's. There is much to love about this beautifully written work. It has an admirably timeless quality to it and is peopled with a cast of well crafted characters. I have no idea if it was lauded in its day, but it has the feel of a minor classic. A perfect tale to bedevil poor High Schoolers for exam study. It's much better enjoyed for it's own sake. I loved it.

Such a curious tale

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
worth a listen but buy it on sale as it's not worth a full credit.b

An odd little story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A nice little story. Characters are likeable. Very well written and narrated. The ending is open to interpretation.

Great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.