Hangsaman

Natalie Waite is seventeen years old. She was born into a suffocating family made up of her father, a mediocre and egocentric writer, and her mother, a neurotic housewife, the day comes when she leaves to study. It is possible that just before she left something happened that she does not want or cannot tell. Soon, already in college, her life will be transformed into a terrifying game of mirrors. A masterful and disturbing exploration of the psyche of a troubled teenager, Hangsaman has been described as both a coming-of-age novel and a campus novel, but those definitions fall short. Although it includes elements of both, as well as a satirical touch, the protagonist's vicissitudes take place on the border with nightmare. The narrative oozes ambiguity. The reality is elusive. When it comes to Shirley Jackson, darkness is always lurking.