The Hanged Man

Predominantly known for the Weetzie Bat series, Block's The Hanged Man is both a departure from her earlier works in terms of grittier subject matter, but also retains her familiar trademark of lush, poetic prose, magical realism, and an at once enchanting and menacing Los Angeles backdrop. Dealing with controversial topics like incest and the silence surrounding it, the protagonist Laurel leads us on a first person narrative of her struggle to cope with anorexia, a mysterious lover, and her own grief in the wake of her father/abuser's death. As a framework, Block makes use of tarot cards and their symbolism to both mark and foreshadow the change in chapters and enfolding events.

This is absolutely my favorite of Block's books. As usual with her writing the images are beautiful and sharp and enveloping, a conflation of scent and sight and the night-time where Laurel Canyon parties glow phosphorescently. The story unfolds perfectly backwards in that way that only she can do it. I've never read another author who so acutely captures what it's like to be a teenage girl. I read it again whenever I want to be reminded everything's sad but everything's magic, too. The revelatory passage always makes me cry. I read somewhere that Block's favorite author is Steve Erickson, whose influence is clear: mystery of the nocturne.

p.s. This is a pretty severe divergence from the Weetzie Bat books, esp. the earlier ones. But I show more couldn't recommend it more sincerely. show less

darker than any of the other FLB books i've read so far... Laurel is a survivor of incestuous sexual abuse, and this book talks about how she deals with it. it doesn't have a completely happy ending, but it isn't all doom and gloom. i see quite a bit of someone i know in real life in Laurel, and i'm not so sure that's a bad thing.

Death, anorexia, incest, abuse, rape... Francesca Lia Block gathered all these taboo subjects and weaved them into this honest and painful story, where faith, hope and love triumphs in the end.

Block is able to talk about a disturbing subject in such a poetic way. The story is more complex than it may seem, but it is utterly real and readable. Her language is, as always, lyrical and magical. She uses such vivid images to paint the pain of the story's young protagonist. Beautifully-written!

Grade Level: 9th-12th

Category: Fantasy intermingled with Realistic Fiction.

Summary: Laurel a 17 year old girl’s father dies leaving her and her “witch” mother alone in a huge house in the Hollywood hills. These hills are filled with drugs, alcohol and lavish parties. Laurel becomes heavily involved with the latter two and also a boy, Jack. She has been suffering through life without much to live for. Laurel lost a friend to drugs and has been battling her internal monsters. Laurel finally defeats them and moves onto a happy, healthy life with her mother.

Theme: Finding the true you and sticking to it. It took Laurel the whole book to come out with what has bothered her. Once her dream land became her reality land it as perfect and show more she came to terms with her life the way it has been, and she changed herself into what she wants to become as an adult.

Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think that Laurel chose to be “the hanged man” in the tarot deck?
2. Was Jack a real person or was he in Laurel’s fantasy world?
3. Discuss the importance of art in the novel. Both on the pages and the influence on all the characters including Laurel herself.

Reader Response: This is one of those books that kept you on the edge of your seat wishing to know what has happened to the main character. Laurel hid many things about her life even though she was the narrator of the piece. She was very reserved until the end of the book. I really enjoyed the ups and downs, but the subject matter and the bluntness of words about the harsh topics made it difficult for me to want to teach it in a class. Maybe an upper division course taught along with Lovely Bones. I believe that this novel has a lot to teach students. This novel uses tarot cards as a means of explaining the progression of the main characters life, and I think that was what kept me interested the most, I am not a believer in the fortune tellers game, but the idea worked very well with this piece. show less

I really do not feel competent to comment on this book, with its themes of incest and anorexia. Art and Tarot cards. Way outside my experience, being male and not exactly a young adult. Very lyrical narrative.