I was faffing around with the remote control the other night, and I happened to see that Netflix had a movie adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE. I haven’t read that book since it creeped me out when I was young, so I watched the movie. Here’s a link to a trailer from the movie. Then, of course, I had to reread the book.
The book is still creepy. The movie adds some ACTION and some motivation for things Jackson left ambiguous, and I must admit those — perhaps weirdly, which is appropriate — made the story more settling and satisfying, but that did detract from the masterful what-the-fuck-ness of Jackson’s book.
I recommend both.
Here are my nails this week:
The base polishes are Maniology’s Celestial (blue) and Gingersnap (gold). The abstract pattern is from Maniology’s M259 and the face is from Maniology’s 249. I painted my thumbnails half blue and half gold, then put gold on half the stamping design and blue on the other, and stamped the design on the opposite color. Interesting effect, I thought.
A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Write about a dysfunctional but happy family.
MA
Damyanti Biswas
February 28, 2022 at 6:04pmI need to read that book again, Marian.
So envious of that nail art!
Marian Allen
March 1, 2022 at 2:42pmThe nail art is easy, Damyanti! I’ll have to post a how-to sometime. 🙂
Dan Antion
February 28, 2022 at 7:08amI am unfamiliar with the book. Cool nails!
Marian Allen
February 28, 2022 at 8:35amI guess it’s primarily a book that appeals to young girls, although it’s about as far from the concept of “girly” as you can get. The older sister is all about cooking and keeping things neat, but that’s kind of an unbreakable coping mechanism. The younger sister believes she, herself, is a witch. It’s a Shirley Jackson book, so it triggers growing unease from the first page to the last. Brilliant book.