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A review by lucyblack
Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hangsaman is a bad dream book about being unsure of what and who are real. Natalie is a teenager with a messy head, constant internal monologue and she lives in a plastic academic world. This novel is about disassociating over cocktails with your professor and depersonalisation - is Natalie a victim? Is she the dormitory thief? Her college is preppy and intense, Is she talking to herself? Is she even real?
The untrustworthy, slippery nature of Hangsaman causes frustration and endless questions. There’s numbing sentences about how disconnected she feels from her domestic life and entrancing chapters about her friend Tony who lives in a pack of tarot cards. Read this alone on still nights in your own room and don’t go into the woods.
The untrustworthy, slippery nature of Hangsaman causes frustration and endless questions. There’s numbing sentences about how disconnected she feels from her domestic life and entrancing chapters about her friend Tony who lives in a pack of tarot cards. Read this alone on still nights in your own room and don’t go into the woods.