This is the third novel I have read by Jackson (Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle being the other two) and it's clear to me that if there's one thing Jackson does incredibly well its her creation of beautifully unreliable narrators/characters.

Hangsaman centres around Natalie who is a creative and imaginative young woman with the world of college ahead of her. But before leaving home to start college something happens which will impact her despite her wishes.

Natalie, and the reader along with her, ends up trapped in a world of drinking and cliques with no way to escape other than though her own thoughts and imagination. The world Jackson has built is a real one and it even sparked some of my own memories of starting university but not everything plays out as you might expect.

Reminiscent of Plath's The Bell Jar, this novel explores the role of the young woman in time of change for society and during a time of change for the self (let's be honest, none of us really knew who we were at 17/18/19!)

Like the other Jackson novels, I felt I needed clarification on the plot and will admit to Googling it after I finished (just to help me cement my own interpretation) and I think a large part of that is down to how much of the narrative POV I believe. Despite this I still give it a solid 4 stars. Better than Hill House but not quite as brilliant as WHAitC.