Book of the Day: "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" — A Chilling Tale About a Family Hated by an Entire Town

Sometimes the most terrifying horror isn't about ghosts. And not even about murders. It's about family. More precisely—about how people live when the entire rest of the world quietly hates them. And who, after years of exile, have learned to fear strangers more than death.

If you think horror can't surprise you anymore — put that to the test with "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" (1962). Shirley Jackson, the same writer who gave us "The Haunting of Hill House," doesn't rely on jump scares and gore in this novel. Instead, she bets everything on dread.

It seeps between the lines like water, slow and steady, until it suddenly snaps the trap shut.
  • Genre: psychological horror / gothic drama / domestic thriller
  • Why read it: because fear isn't always about darkness. Sometimes it's sitting right at the dinner table
  • Who it's for: readers tired of clichéd horror who want genuinely solid literature that'll give you chills
The main characters are sisters Merricat and Constance Blackwood. They live in an old mansion with their sick uncle.
Writer Shirley Jackson wearing glasses looks to the side with a book showing a girl standing by a fence
Shirley Jackson and the cover of the novel "We Have Always Lived in the Castle"
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Their entire family died under mysterious circumstances years ago. Ever since, the neighbors hate them, constantly mock them, the house gets overgrown with gardens, and inside there's this strange, closed-off world held together by magic, rituals, and fear.

Then cousin Charles unexpectedly shows up. And everything falls apart.

"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is a novel that defies genre boundaries. It's fairy tale, dystopia, and parable all at once. A story about fragile balance and how any of us can be a monster. Or a saint. Depending on who's telling the story.
Actress Taissa Farmiga glares menacingly to the side
Taissa Farmiga and the poster for the film "We Have Always Lived in the Castle"
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And if you really don't want to crack open the book — there's always the movie. In 2018, they adapted "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" for the screen, starring Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Crispin Glover, and Sebastian Stan.

The result is an atmospheric gothic story that captures the spirit of the original pretty well. But as often happens, the real magic is in the text. With Jackson, every word is worth its weight in gold. So even if you start with the movie, don't skip the book. Earlier on zoomboola.com, we told you about the book "Salem's Lot" — when something that fears the light moves into the house across the street.