Hangsaman

By: Shirley Jackson

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Shirley Jackson's chilling second novel, based on her own experiences and an actual mysterious disappearance

Seventeen-year-old Natalie Waite longs to escape home for college. Her father is a domineering and egotistical writer who keeps a tight rein on Natalie and her long-suffering mother. When Natalie finally does get away, however, college life doesn’t bring the happiness she expected. Little by little, Natalie is no longer certain of anything—even where reality ends and her dark imaginings begin. Chilling and suspenseful, Hangsaman is loosely based on the real-life disappearance of a Bennington College sophomore in 1946.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Critic reviews

"[Hangsaman] confirms the belief that Miss Jackson is an exceptional writer."
—The London Times

"No one can question the author's great ability to do the kind of thing she wants to do. This is as disturbing a story as the shorter 'Lottery' was, and in exactly the same way."
—San Francisco Chronicle

Strange

I know Shirley Jackson is known for strange books. The ones I read Dark Tales and The Sundial were pretty good and I was able to follow.
This one I don’t understand. I get Natalie is trying to fit in and get used to college. But, the events in this book don’t make sense. I guess I don’t understand why Jackson wrote this book.
Also the title completely has thrown me off. I finish each part and look at the title and I don’t get it….
Still Hangsaman does give you an inside view of a college girl.

Strange

Was never sure where this story was leading. The ending was quite confusing to me. I think I know what Jackson was trying to say. But disappointed overall.

Julia Whelan’s narration in sweet perfection …

… sorry I can’t say the same thing about the book. What!? I listened to no avail, I Googled an explanation and am still confused. I immediately bought the book because of Whelan; I have 50-plus Whelan-narrated books. There were many five-star reviews. I do believe it was me.

Wow is it not a best metaphysical novel no one talked about?

Jackson’s psychological prowess is universally revered. How about Jackson as a meta philosopher?

The narrator is perfectly made for Jackson. This maybe fifth book od Jackson read by her

A winding eerie tale

I liked the narrator a lot. I enjoyed the POV the story was told from. The characters were strong and unique. Perhaps the physical book is formatted a certain way- this audio form felt a little choppy. Otherwise I thought the plot was intriguingly odd. MC (Natalie) has so many fleeting thoughts it’s difficult to tell her next move. She can be so civilized and polite, then on the other hand she can be reckless and spooky in nature. Definitely not like the other girls at college. The ending (no spoilers) left me feeling empty, curious. A strange phantom feeling. Like you can’t remember what you’ve forgotten when you walk into the other room.