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
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:
Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
I am not a fan of the horror genre, but like you, I decided to give one a try and chose this author's first book, Horrorstor. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but like you, I couldn't put it down because I needed to find out what happened. The only other "horror" books that I have tried were the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children books by Ransom Riggs which you might enjoy too.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to read Horrorstor. This book was so uniquely written, and I couldn't guess the twist at the end. It kept you guessing the whole time! And I have read the first of the Miss Peregrine books and I hated it. I don't know why, I just thought it was bad. I didn't like the characters, it was slow, just not for me. However, I will continue to try to find horror books that I enjoy!
DeleteI love this author and his books, they're so over the top and ridiculous! Just like the old campy horror movies. Great summary and personal thoughts, full points!
ReplyDelete