From Amazon.com
Francesca Lia Block explores love in
The Hanged Man, a novel that is not part of the Weetzie Bat series even though it shares the same Los Angeles backdrop. It's the story of 17-year-old Laurel, who lives just below the famous Hollywood sign. Her mind twisted and scarred from painful childhood experiences, Laurel becomes an addict and is driven toward reckless passions and empty mirages of "love." Only when she finds the strength to confront her inner demons is she able to reach out and feel a strong, true love for others, and herself.
--This text refers to the
Library Binding
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Though its cast is new and its tone considerably more somber, this intoxicating if painful work shares with Block's ( Weetzie Bat ) earlier novels a magic-tinged Los Angeles setting; emotionally charged, hip writing; and a stylized narrative construction derived from the timeless rhythms of myth and fairy tales. Here, the novel (as well as its striking design) is structured upon the conventions of a tarot reading, adding another layer of meaning and mystery to the hypnotic prose. Sitting in a hospital waiting room, grimly anticipating news of her terminally ill father's death, Laurel meets an eerily attractive man named Jack. During the sultry summer following her father's death, Laurel encounters Jack at various underground clubs and parties. A bittersweet romance springs up, with motorcyle-riding, black-clad Jack (who may or may not be a reincarnation of aspects of Laurel's father) providing Laurel with spiritual and erotic guidance. With Jack's aid, Laurel slowly acknowledges and transcends torturous family secrets: her father's sexual abuse of her and her mother's silent complicity. Although the discussion of incest is fairly indirect, Block is otherwise candid; she describes Laurel's sexuality frankly ("The closest I have come to coming since I was fourteen"), and drugs play a prominent part in her exotic, lushly described L.A. scene. Disturbing but ultimately exhilarating. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
