A Head Full of Ghosts

4.5 ⭐

This is a story about Merry and her sister Marjorie who have to deal with Marjorie's mental health going downhill quite rapidly. Their father convinces their mother to call in a local priest for help and a production team is involved to film the exorcism they are planning to perform. While her parents try to protect Merry from most of this, they don't succeed in doing so and Merry has to come to terms with all that is happening to her sister and her family. I was really looking forward to finally reading a book by Paul Tremblay because I was hearing so much praise for him and his novels. However, I think I might have set my expectations too high for this type of story. Usually, I do like books about religious fanatics and ghost stories but this one just didn't really catch me. For me, it was just too slow-paced and could have done with a few pages less. Maybe the way it was told (especially the present timeline) had something to do with my enjoyment level decreasing throughout the book or maybe the fact that I couldn't really empathize with any of the characters was the cause for it. Also for most of the book, I was a little confused about the stuff the sisters were thinking and/or saying (in the present and the past timeline), which probably also didn't help. Overall, I was expecting a scary book about an exorcism and complicated family dynamics but what I got was a story that wasn't really scary and characters that confused me throughout most of the story. I am sure there is an audience for this book - sadly it just is not me. Still, please give this one a try if you're intrigued by the synopsis - you might like it!

This book scares me. A lot. Like A LOT. It's that good.

3/5 stars Many reviewers here seem to agree that this novel is the best horror novel in the last few years. I would not go to that length, but I personally really enjoyed the story, which is full of pop culture references and nods to the classic and great stories, just like “The Exorcism” or “The Yellow Wallpaper”. This is not a story about a dark and evil spirit, but somehow it is still about exactly that. This is vague, I know, but you probably have to read this story for yourself, so you can pinpoint what or who exactly that dark entity is. A psychological horror story about the damage of reality tv, the damage fanatic religiousness can cause and the problems with treating (or falsely treating) mental illnesses kept me entertained for a few hours, but it was nothing life-changing to vindicate a higher rating. Nevertheless [b:A Head Full of Ghosts|23019294|A Head Full of Ghosts|Paul Tremblay|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415678368s/23019294.jpg|42563937] is a dark and eerie read, perfect for the first days of fall. I am looking forward to more books by [a:Paul Tremblay|648612|Paul Tremblay|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1415058580p2/648612.jpg], I feel that he is really talented with setting a spooky and unsettling mood in each novel he writes, with the help of famous horror stories and the like. On another note: This books is adapted to screen and if I were on the marketing team, the whole marketing campaign would be centered around the fake reality show. Drop a trailer for The Possession and then wait. That being said, I am eager to find out how an adaption will play out since a lot is drawn from famous horror stories, but that never hindered other horror movies out there, right?

This is a story about Merry and her sister Marjorie who have to deal with Marjorie's mental health going downhill quite rapidly. Their father convinces their mother to call in a local priest for help and a production team is involved to film the exorcism they are planning to perform. While her parents try to protect Merry from most of this, they don't succeed in doing so and Merry has to come to terms with all that is happening to her sister and her family. I was really looking forward to finally reading a book by Paul Tremblay because I was hearing so much praise for him and his novels. However, I think I might have set my expectations too high for this type of story. Usually, I do like books about religious fanatics and ghost stories but this one just didn't really catch me. For me, it was just too slow-paced and could have done with a few pages less. Maybe the way it was told (especially the present timeline) had something to do with my enjoyment level decreasing throughout the book or maybe the fact that I couldn't really empathize with any of the characters was the cause for it. Also for most of the book, I was a little confused about the stuff the sisters were thinking and/or saying (in the present and the past timeline), which probably also didn't help. Overall, I was expecting a scary book about an exorcism and complicated family dynamics but what I got was a story that wasn't really scary and characters that confused me throughout most of the story. I am sure there is an audience for this book - sadly it just is not me. Still, please give this one a try if you're intrigued by the synopsis - you might like it!

2.5 ⭐ Slightly more enjoyable than the train wreck that was "Survivor Song" but respectfully, Paul, I don't think we'll get back together after that one

3.5 stars! Ending was messed up and i looooved it. It's a solid horror novel, but these sorts of things (evil kids, exorcism etc.) never scare me. I find them rather enjoyable and spooky.