Mary Katherine Blackwood and her sister Constance live in their family's ancient mansion, sticking to a rigid daily routine. The routine is for their own protection - the rest of their family is dead.

WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE is haunting and unnerving. I wouldn't exactly call it horror, but one is left with quite an off-putting feeling after reading it. Merricat and Constance are strange figures, at once sympathetic and alien.

I did guess Constance's reveal toward the end of the book, but that made the story no less enjoyable. Merricat's bizarre personality is unforgettable - her hold over the other characters translates over to the reader as well. Their slow slide into a living haunted house is impossible to tear your eyes away from.