Horror: My Best Friend's Exorcism

I chose this book because I am both fascinated and terrified at the thought of being possessed. I thought that this book would be a gentle nudge in the horror direction. I’m not big on horror books or movies (I love the Paranormal Activity movies though), but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I really loved this book and hope to read more by this author!

Author: My Best Friend's Exorcism

Title: Grady Hendrix

Genre: Horror/Supernatural/Coming of Age

Publication Date: May 17, 2016

Number of Pages: 336

Geographical Setting: Charleston, South Carolina

Time Period: 1988

Plot Summary: Gretchen and Abby are two best friends trying to navigate high school while Gretchen is possessed by the devil. One night Gretchen, Abby, and two other members of their group experiment with LSD. The girls become worried when Gretchen disappears for a few hours, but returns relatively unscathed the next morning. Shortly after Gretchen starts behaving differently. She stops taking care of herself, unable to shower, sleep, or attend school. One day, she seemingly snaps out of it. Upon her return, strange and awful things start happening to the group. Without the help from parents, the school, or her friends, Abby takes it upon herself to find the exorcist who had visited their school to get rid of the demon who is torturing Gretchen and everyone around her.

There is more that I could say about the plot of this book, but I am afraid that I will spoil it. There is much more that goes on in this than the cover and summary suggest. Each chapter title is a popular song from the 80’s that sets up the theme of the chapter. That is one of my favorite details of the book. This book has wonderful story lines that were woven together perfectly. I had such a hard time putting it down, I had to find out what happened next!

Subject Headings: Horror, Exorcism, Black Comedy

Appeal: This book appeals to anyone who has a dark sense of humor, loves strange friendship tales, or wants a little something different from the normal horror tale.

Character: Relatable; Strong female
Storyline: Character-driven

Pace: Fast-paced
Tone:Creepy; Darkly humorous; High-drama; Nostalgic

Three terms that best describe this book: Quirky, Dark, Nerve-Wrecking

Similar Authors and Works: I chose the following books because they all have the dark humor aspect to them, as well as a bit of the macabre feel. Some of the non-fiction books are about pop culture because “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” is filled with pop culture references.

Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:

Alfred Hitchcock: A Life In Darkness and Light by Patrick McGilligan

Shock Value: How A Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror By: Jason Zinoman

Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting by W. Scott Poole

Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

John Dies At The End by David Wong

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink

Wax by Gina Damico

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

Week Three Prompt

       1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next! 

The 4^th book in the Anita Blake series is “The Lunatic Café.” To find this, I typed Anita Blake into the search box on Novelist, selected the series tab, chose the regular series (not the graphic novel) and saw that number 4 was “The Lunatic Café.”

2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though.

The Gentleman Poet by Kathryn Johnson, Frog Music by Emma Donoghue, and The Miniaturist by Kunal Basu all have the lush and lyrical writing style they are looking for, with a faster pace! I was able to discover these titles by using the advanced search options  

 



     3. I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!

The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake is set in post-World War II Japan. It follows the lives of a family who went back to Tokyo after being released from a Canadian internment camp. 

4. I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

I would suggest anything by P.D. James, Louise Penny, or Peter Robinson. They create the same complex characters that George does, but without the "creepy"-ness of John Sandford. Their books have flawed, but likable characters and there is a "strong sense of place" within them. 

     

5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

I would suggest Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by ‎Seth Grahame-Smith, The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway, The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith, and The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. These have the action of The Walking Dead and the dark humor that is found in World War Z.  

         

6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

 Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, The Circle by Dave Eggers, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, and The Martian would be good choices. Both the books and the movies have come out within the past 5 years. To find these titles, I used a combination of Goodreads and Amazon. 

     

  

7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

I would suggest Ted Dekker’s books such as BoneMan's Daughters and The Priest's Graveyard. They are all fast paced thrillers, but they have a Christian undertone, so there won't be foul language or sex scenes in these books. 

  

How I find books to read

My main source is Goodreads. I have used it for so long and so often, it has become second nature. I use Amazon and Novelist to find read-a-likes, if there is a certain topic or subject I am interested in. I also use Bookpages. I try to read as many award winners as I can, especially the ones that have received an award from the ALSC.  I also take recommendations from friends. We have pretty similar tastes, so we are always giving each other suggestions!