Book Review: Hangsaman is one of Shirley Jackson's best, and even better on a second read. This is not horror or actually scary, but is, as Jackson does so well, the psychological study of Natalie, a young woman beginning life, a lonely, disturbed adolescence. Readers of Jackson's other books will hear echoes of The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle (both equally good). The book begins as Natalie is to leave for college, living with a domineering father and despairing mother, where she feels under investigation, always having to explain every action. After a disturbing incident (only implied), she arrives at college where she falls into difficulties and entanglements with the other girls at school, a professor and his alcoholic wife, and a mysterious friend. Throughout she writes letters home to her father, and we begin to see versions and variations of reality, unsure which are reliable. This is a book that can't be read too quickly or for plot alone. Hangsaman needs to be read for hints and clues to Natalie's crumbling psychology and personality: "She brought herself away from the disagreeably clinging thought by her usual method -- imagining the sweet sharp sensation of being burned alive." Jackson slowly and masterfully builds Natalie. Each page drops shards of insight for the reader to put together to create the whole sculpture. At the end of Hangsaman, lost in trees that mirror the incident prior to college, Natalie finally reaches a moment, that was for me a surprise ending. There are two kinds of people: those who will be deeply drawn into this book and those who won't. And if you're a Shirley Jackson fan, well, you're just going to have to read it anyway. [5 Stars]
No comments:
Post a Comment