Days before Halloween I finished reading this dark fiction, horror, psychological thriller book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay is a fantastic, well written, fast paced novel. This book is definitely creepy and a very interesting read that caused me to question and wonder and think about for days after finishing it.
I give this festive scary book 4.5 out of 5 Stars. A Head Full of Ghosts has a fantastic storyline that keeps you thinking and guessing and predicting, and for not an avid dark fiction reader it was unpredictable. To be honest the ending totally surprised me. However, for an avid dark fiction/horror reader it might seem a bit predictable or easy to guess. I do think the characterization was well done, and I have no complaints in that area.
I honestly debated about giving it a 5, but the 4.5 won out for only two reasons. First, the beginning was a tad slow to get going and get into it, but it definitely picked up steam and never looked back. Second, the blog posts throughout the story didn't add much to the story or character development. Those two reasons are the only things I can find fault with the book and hence the less than perfect book review rating.
To give fair warning, this book does have a lot of swearing and bad language. The language does seem a bit excessive, but it is also all in context. There is also one not so pleasant scene, but it also in context.
Amazon had the following book description:
"A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends domestic drama, psychological suspense, and a touch of modern horror, reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let the Right One In, and Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House.
The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.
To her parents’ despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. With John, Marjorie’s father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.
Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry. As she recalls those long ago events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television begin to surface—and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed, raising vexing questions about memory and reality, science and religion, and the very nature of evil."
I thoroughly enjoyed this horror read, and found it quite fun to read a creepy book right around Halloween.
Do you have a favorite horror book? These are some of my favorite horror/scary reads.
Happy festive creepy horror reading!
****Spoiler Alert****
Merry was manipulated to poison her family. I didn't see that coming at all, and it left me with so many questions.
I do think Tremblay did a fantastic job portraying the toll a mental illness can take on a family and a marriage. It's just so so sad.
For those that read this awesome book, what did you think?
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