"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is a novel by Shirley Jackson that tells the story of the Blackwood family, who live in isolation after a tragic incident that killed most of their relatives. The story is narrated by Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, a young woman who, along with her sister Constance and their uncle Julian, faces the hostility of the local townspeople. The novel explores themes of isolation, family, and the effects of trauma. As the sisters maintain their secluded life, their world is disrupted by the arrival of a cousin, leading to tension and revealing dark secrets about their past.