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Book Review
Oct. 27th, 2023 08:26 amA Head Full of Ghosts
by Paul Tremblay
This was the saddest horror novel I think I have ever read. Set shortly after the 2008 recession, it follows Merry, the younger daughter in a typical New England family. Her father has been out of work for some time after being laid off. Her 14 year old sister Marjorie starts exhibiting signs of schizophrenia and is soon in the midst of a serious mental health crisis. Her mother works hard to get Marjorie help and proper treatment. However, frustrated with the slow pace of mental health treatment, Dad turns to the church and quickly becomes convinced that Marjorie is demonically possessed. At that point, Marjorie and Merry's parents make a breathtakingly bad decision and agree to have a production company shoot a reality TV series about the alleged possession and the exorcism Dad's priest, Father Wanderly, is due to perform. Eight year old Merry is both pushed to the side and caught in the middle of all of this, trying to understand it all and cope with the inevitable tragedy. The story is told mainly from the perspective of an adult Merry who is recounting the story for a writer working on a book about the show and events behind it.
A Head Full of Ghosts maintains ambiguity about what is really going on: is Marjorie really possessed, is Dad also suffering from mental illness, how much is anyone faking or exaggerating for the camera, does Father Wanderly have ulterior motives, etc. What is clear is that Marjorie soon stops being a kid in crisis who needs help and becomes a vehicle through which Dad can re-establish his status as leader of the family, Father Wanderly can score a win for the church, and the production team can create a successful show. That shift and its terrible consequences are the real horror in this book.
by Paul Tremblay
This was the saddest horror novel I think I have ever read. Set shortly after the 2008 recession, it follows Merry, the younger daughter in a typical New England family. Her father has been out of work for some time after being laid off. Her 14 year old sister Marjorie starts exhibiting signs of schizophrenia and is soon in the midst of a serious mental health crisis. Her mother works hard to get Marjorie help and proper treatment. However, frustrated with the slow pace of mental health treatment, Dad turns to the church and quickly becomes convinced that Marjorie is demonically possessed. At that point, Marjorie and Merry's parents make a breathtakingly bad decision and agree to have a production company shoot a reality TV series about the alleged possession and the exorcism Dad's priest, Father Wanderly, is due to perform. Eight year old Merry is both pushed to the side and caught in the middle of all of this, trying to understand it all and cope with the inevitable tragedy. The story is told mainly from the perspective of an adult Merry who is recounting the story for a writer working on a book about the show and events behind it.
A Head Full of Ghosts maintains ambiguity about what is really going on: is Marjorie really possessed, is Dad also suffering from mental illness, how much is anyone faking or exaggerating for the camera, does Father Wanderly have ulterior motives, etc. What is clear is that Marjorie soon stops being a kid in crisis who needs help and becomes a vehicle through which Dad can re-establish his status as leader of the family, Father Wanderly can score a win for the church, and the production team can create a successful show. That shift and its terrible consequences are the real horror in this book.
