Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - O Homem da Forca

Weird, unsettling, psychological, and full of way too relatable awkward social interactions. A book that is much more about vibes than plot, even more so than her other works.

Disclaimer: I have yet to see a cover or description for this book that actually fits the feeling of the book. It sets the reader up for disappointment & confusion even though the book itself is great. Which is weird, because many of her other books have very cool, very accurate covers.

Major content warning for getting lost in the woods/solipsism/hallucinations

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lpluedd's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-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

3.5

For whatever reason, I found this book difficult to sink my teeth into. I didn't have this problem with the other two Shirley Jackson books I've read (THOHH and WHALITC) but something about this one threw me for a loop and I closed the book feeling like I just didn't really "get" it. I found Natalie's infatuation with the professor to be a little played-out, but Tony was an interesting addition and part of why I was so puzzled by the book is that it was not clear to me whether Tony was real or a manifestation of Natalie's psyche. (To be clear - I love ambiguity and I don't care whether Tony is real or not, I think it works either way, but I guess I wasnt sure whether it was supposed to be that ambiguous or if I was just crazy, so I had ambiguity about ambiguity, and it was a little overwhelming).

That said I am always a fan of watching someone slowly descend into insanity so I am sure I'll circle back to this book someday and maybe then it will resonate more with me.

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dangerousaudino's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

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bitofadisgrace's review against another edition

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slow-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

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another_dahlia's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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caidyn's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a hard book to rate. I did enjoy it, but it didn't entirely strike home for me. I didn't really like any of the characters. But having read a biography on Jackson, I could see how it was inspired by her life.

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danidamico's review against another edition

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challenging dark

3.5

Este es el libro más extraño de Shirley Jackson que leí hasta ahora. Es su segunda novela y relata de un modo pesadillesco, por momentos alucinatorio, las experiencias de Natalie, una chica de 17 años que se muda para empezar su educación universitaria. A lo largo de tres capítulos, Jackson nos sumerge en la mente de la protagonista, que parece estar atravesando una especie de crisis tras un episodio traumático. Cómo escribí al comienzo, es un libro muy extraño, en el que aparecen personajes como por arte de magia, sin ningún tipo de introducción, y tampoco se vuelve sobre puntos importantes en la trama. Sin embargo, tiene ese estilo tan único y cautivante de Jackson que te impulsa a seguir leyendo. Hay una atmósfera ominosa y opresiva excelentemente lograda, sentís que en cualquier momento podría pasar algo terrible.

Si bien la novela tiene un narrador en tercera persona, la narración está tan focalizada en Natalie que produce el efecto de una primera persona poco confiable, que hace dudar al lector constantemente sobre qué es real y qué no. Es increíble la enorme influencia que Shirley Jackson ha tenido en la literatura actual; pienso en la obra de Ottessa Moshfegh (Eileen, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Death in Her Hands), Boy Parts de Eliza Clark y demás autoras. No sé si todas han leído a Jackson, pero sí estoy segura de que la literatura de los últimos años no sería lo mismo sin ella.

Dicho todo esto, Hangsaman es el texto de Jackson que menos me gustó de los que llevo leídos. Para empezar, creo que yo no estaba en el mejor estado mental para leerlo (es un libro bastante oscuro). Además, en mi opinión, el libro no logra mantener la tensión y el ritmo como en lo que considero su obra maestra, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Esta es una novela que va y viene, por momentos divaga, tiene párrafos que resultan excesivos. Sigo creyendo que lo mejor de la autora son sus cuentos y su última novela publicada en vida, la que mencioné recién. También The Haunting of Hill House es una obra superior. De todos modos, siempre es un placer leerla, me inspira muchísmo.

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