We Have Always Lived in the Castle

This is a masterful book. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the story of Mary Katherine (Merricat) and Constance, two sisters who lost their entire family to a horrific murder (with the exception of their Uncle Julian). All the members of small town hates the family, so only Merricat leaes the house, and then only extremely reluctantly. Their estranged cousin Charles eventually comes to visit, throwing off the delicate harmony of their lives.

As you read this book Jackson does a great job of setting the atmosphere. Page by page the sense of wrongness creeps in, though you can't quite put your finger on what it is at first... I finished this book two days ago and haven't stopped thinking about it since. Creepy, subtle, amazing! If you need more convincing, I went straight out to the library after reading this to get Jackson's collection of short stories because I was so enthralled.