Scan barcode
woahwhatthe's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
helloclarisse's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book!! I heard about it on reddit and supposedly it was super scary, but I didn’t really think so when reading it. I thought the story was an interesting concept and I liked the way it was written.
about a girl who’s retelling the story of when she was eight and her family starred in a reality tv show about demonic possession. her sister is possessed… or has some kind of mental illness, and are filmed by an in-house camera crew, along with cinematic re-enactments and confessionals.
the story also switches to a “blog post” format where someone dissects each episode of the show, showing both the main character’s perspective of what happened as well as what the viewers at home saw. which was nice because can you really trust the narration of an eight year old?
I would definitely recommend this to others.
about a girl who’s retelling the story of when she was eight and her family starred in a reality tv show about demonic possession. her sister is possessed… or has some kind of mental illness, and are filmed by an in-house camera crew, along with cinematic re-enactments and confessionals.
the story also switches to a “blog post” format where someone dissects each episode of the show, showing both the main character’s perspective of what happened as well as what the viewers at home saw. which was nice because can you really trust the narration of an eight year old?
I would definitely recommend this to others.
emrodav's review
2.0
Unfortunately, this one just fell short.
Possession stories can be hard to make interesting, because how do you put a spin on a trope that has entries as iconic as The Exorcist?
Paul Tremblay's attempt is...not even really an attempt. What he does instead is create a mishmash of pop culture references (that are then painfully and unnecessarily pointed out to the reader and dissected in Karen's blog entries), flat characters (literally tell me more than one remarkable thing about each character - you can't), and barely thrilling attempts at horror.
I will give Tremblay some points for the ending, which I find intriguing. But that was too little too late for me.
I will probably try another book by Tremblay, just to see if they get better, but I won't have high hopes.
Possession stories can be hard to make interesting, because how do you put a spin on a trope that has entries as iconic as The Exorcist?
Paul Tremblay's attempt is...not even really an attempt. What he does instead is create a mishmash of pop culture references (that are then painfully and unnecessarily pointed out to the reader and dissected in Karen's blog entries), flat characters (literally tell me more than one remarkable thing about each character - you can't), and barely thrilling attempts at horror.
I will give Tremblay some points for the ending, which I find intriguing. But that was too little too late for me.
I will probably try another book by Tremblay, just to see if they get better, but I won't have high hopes.
guccishoestrings's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
I have read this book twice over the course of 16 months as my creative writing (later horror film and literature) professor recommended and later required to read this book.
This book seems like a book about a teen getting an exorcism but that is not at all what this book is about. This book is more about a family that is damaged beyond repair, financially crushed, and seeking for any kind of hope they can find. There are really only two main characters in this book in Marjorie (the teen who is "possessed") and Merry (who is the narrator) with their mother and father being important but secondary main characters. The father of the family lost his job and has since pretty much become a cult like member at the church, the mother has been dealing with severe depression and with everything going on she has gotten much worse, and Marjorie is apparently possessed. Eventually a show is made to show the exorcism of Marjorie and the book goes from there.
I suggest reading this book once then after reflection and thought read it again in a week. There are so many little things that you miss through your first read through. I also suggest reading with a group of 4 or more people as after reading for a class, almost everybody has different thoughts on what the story and characters are conveying. Just do not go in expecting an exorcism horror book, because this is a different type of horror, just wait till the end of this book as it is truly heartbreaking.
This book seems like a book about a teen getting an exorcism but that is not at all what this book is about. This book is more about a family that is damaged beyond repair, financially crushed, and seeking for any kind of hope they can find. There are really only two main characters in this book in Marjorie (the teen who is "possessed") and Merry (who is the narrator) with their mother and father being important but secondary main characters. The father of the family lost his job and has since pretty much become a cult like member at the church, the mother has been dealing with severe depression and with everything going on she has gotten much worse, and Marjorie is apparently possessed. Eventually a show is made to show the exorcism of Marjorie and the book goes from there.
I suggest reading this book once then after reflection and thought read it again in a week. There are so many little things that you miss through your first read through. I also suggest reading with a group of 4 or more people as after reading for a class, almost everybody has different thoughts on what the story and characters are conveying. Just do not go in expecting an exorcism horror book, because this is a different type of horror, just wait till the end of this book as it is truly heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Vomit
honnari_hannya's review
3.0
3.75 Stars
I wanted to like this more than I did. I felt like it could have been much creepier had we gotten to see more of Marjorie's episodes firsthand, rather than being told about it through descriptions of how tired and sick she looks instead. The most unsettling parts of the novel involved Marjorie's and Merry's interactions, and all of those ambiguous moments where you can't tell if its truly possession or a psychotic break. The twist at the end was great though!
I wanted to like this more than I did. I felt like it could have been much creepier had we gotten to see more of Marjorie's episodes firsthand, rather than being told about it through descriptions of how tired and sick she looks instead. The most unsettling parts of the novel involved Marjorie's and Merry's interactions, and all of those ambiguous moments where you can't tell if its truly possession or a psychotic break. The twist at the end was great though!
esolbrig's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
blemishedhearth's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eimiburt's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5