Book · 1962
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Shirley Jackson
Two sisters and their uncle live alone in a big house because the rest of the family died from arsenic in the sugar bowl.
What does Reddit think of We Have Always Lived in the Castle?
Several of the highest-upvoted comments here are just the title and author, dropped into a suggestion thread with zero elaboration (↑440, ↑294); recognition, not argument. r/suggestmeabook accounts for most of what's tracked, and when people do explain themselves, two threads repeat. One is genre-adjacent: 'The Woman in Black... gave me actual nightmares,' paired with this book as 'also really creepy' (↑319), and a separate comment groups it with The Historian for 'spooky vibes' (↑376) despite that book being about vampires and this one not. The other is technical: one comment calls it 'a classic example of unreliable narration,' full stop, no argument attached (↑313). r/horrorlit's entry (↑281) pairs it with Jackson's own The Haunting of Hill House rather than anything else. Four other subreddits combined don't come close to that share of the conversation.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Named as 'a classic example of unreliable narration'
- · Grouped into creepy/spooky-vibes lists next to unrelated genre books
- · Frequently paired with Jackson's own The Haunting of Hill House
- · Often just named and dropped, no argument attached
Common praise
- + One comment calls it outright 'a classic example of unreliable narration,' no qualifiers (↑313).
- + r/horrorlit (↑281) pairs it with The Haunting of Hill House and says both protagonists are 'incredibly written,' naming the specific thing it likes.
- + It shows up on a five-book gave-me-nightmares list next to The Woman in Black, described as 'really creepy' rather than just recommended (↑319).
Common criticism
- − A large share of the highest-upvoted mentions are bare title drops with zero explanation (↑440, ↑294), which is a title being recognized, not necessarily argued for.
- − One comment groups it with The Historian under 'spooky vibes' (↑376) despite The Historian being a vampire novel, so the pairing is closer to a genre-mood match than a real comparison.
- − Across r/TrueLit, r/Fantasy, r/YAlit, and r/printSF combined it registers only thinly next to r/suggestmeabook's 2,886, so its reach outside recommendation-request threads is comparatively thin in this data.
Who it's for
Compared to a full horror commitment, this is the creepy-but-manageable pick two comments point to directly: one ranks it just below The Woman in Black, which 'gave me actual nightmares,' calling this one 'also really creepy' (↑319). Studying or just curious about unreliable narrators? One comment names it as the textbook case, no argument needed (↑313). Already read The Haunting of Hill House? r/horrorlit treats this as the natural next Jackson book, not a lesser one. Plenty of the mentions here don't explain themselves at all, and that's worth knowing too.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for We Have Always Lived in the Castle?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Geek Love by Katherine Dunn A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson I don't know if they'll bring you solace, but of all the books I've read, these are…
“We have always lived in the castle - Shirley Jackson!
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle definitely has these eerie vibes where something is wrong by it takes you a while to pinpoint why Possibly The Historian, as well - it’s about vampires. I really enjoyed the spooky vibes in it
“The Woman in Black by Susan Hill gave me actual nightmares. We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson is also really creepy.
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson is a classic example of unreliable narration!
“I'm sure they're mentioned here all the time so apologies, but We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson both fit the bill. Both protagonists are incredibly written, I adore them.
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson. Super creepy but quietly
“*We Have Always Lived in the Castle* by Shirley Jackson. Don't read the back of any paperback edition and skip all introductions cause they often spoil it.
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson... also The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, but I feel like the first book really fits the bill. If you haven't explored her books yet, enjoy! She is one of my all- time favs.
“We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson. The protagonist is a reclusive and childish 18 year old who is completely disconnected from reality, and the narration style does a good job at drawing you into her little world and almost gets you to believe in her delusions too. It’s also an o…
“Same author, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Great creepy town vibes.
“The Haunting of Hill House can be read as the main character's descent into madness. Ditto We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Both excellent.
“Oooh, how about We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson??? I read it recently and it is a stressful and paranoiac read. goodreads link here
“*We Have Always Lived In The Castle* quickly reveals what the inciting incident in the book was but very subtly reveals the motives and the perpetrators. The ending is masterful because it makes you re-evaluate your perspective upon reading a second time.
“I recommend We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It's a short book and it probably won't scare you while reading it, but it's one of the books that I find myself thinking about often. I think I need to give it a reread knowing how everything pans out.
Convinced? Pick up We Have Always Lived in the Castle
What else does r/suggestmeabook read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle — frequently asked
Is We Have Always Lived in the Castle a horror novel?+
It gets treated as horror-adjacent more than straight horror. r/horrorlit's top comment (↑281) pairs it with The Haunting of Hill House and calls both leads 'incredibly written.' A separate comment (↑319) ranks it one notch below The Woman in Black, which 'gave me actual nightmares'; this one is 'also really creepy,' not nightmare-inducing.
Why do people call We Have Always Lived in the Castle unreliable narration?+
One comment states it flatly, no elaboration: 'a classic example of unreliable narration' (↑313). Nothing in the displayed data explains which specific choices earn that label, so treat it as a widely repeated verdict rather than an argued one.
Is We Have Always Lived in the Castle similar to The Haunting of Hill House?+
Both are Shirley Jackson, and r/horrorlit's top comment (↑281) pairs them directly, praising 'incredibly written' protagonists in both. Beyond that shared author and the subreddit's own pairing, the displayed excerpts don't spell out how similar the two actually are in tone or plot.
Why does We Have Always Lived in the Castle show up on so many Reddit book lists?+
Partly because r/suggestmeabook alone accounts for the bulk of its recognized mentions, a request-thread subreddit where a lot of top comments are just a title and author with no discussion (↑440, ↑294). It's a recognizable answer to 'creepy/classic/unreliable narrator' prompts more than a book people are shown actively debating in what's displayed.