First published in 1962, We Have Always Lived in the Castle tells the story of what remains of the Blackwood family. Our gothic heroine, Merricat Blackwood lives with her older sister Constance and eccentric, elderly Uncle Julian in their oversized house. Six years prior to the novel’s setting, Merricat and Constance’s parents, aunt and younger brother are all murdered with arsenic at the dinner table. The townspeople believe Constance, the cook in the family, is to blame, although she is never found guilty. As a result, Constance hasn’t left the family property since the murders, and Merricat only goes into town to gather essentials. Now too large for the Blackwood’s downsized family, the house becomes both a shrine to their passed family members and their own little world separate from society. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is widely considered Shirley Jackson’s masterpiece and is chock full of all the spooky, psychological traits and tropes of the Female Gothic. To hear more about Shirley Jackson, check out this podcast from Deviant Women.