WINNER OF THE 2015 BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVELA chilling thriller that brilliantly blends psychological suspense and supernatural horror, reminiscent of Stephen King’s The Shining, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist.The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old … 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.
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I read primarily horror/psychological thriller and very few books can grab and hold my attention like this one did.
A deliciously , hypnotic venture into demon possession.
Not your standard, head swiveling, vomit spewing, crawling on the ceiling read….its better.
Great characters and twists that will keep you guessing. Brilliant writer.
Very scary.
I liked this story right up to the ending which I felt was predictable.
This has become one of my favorites. I became lost in the world and creepiness.
This was not Horror/Supernatural. Not a Mystery novel and not a thriller. At best it read like mediocre fan fiction – a blending of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist meets 21st century blogging. Dull writing, wooden characters, weak dialogue. Slow pacing, nothing of interest that I’ll remember. I didn’t care about any of the characters at all. And I’m not even going to get started with the schizophrenia-versus-demonic-possession aspect. The final chapters, when “the plot twist” is revealed, I just rolled my eyes. Silly, abrupt and not believable or satisfying. Skip this one.
Surprise ending
A bit boring for my taste. Not scary at all.
It certainly not the thriller, suspense story I thought it would be. I slogged through to the end, hoping I would get to the suspense part…never happened. Furthermore,being a Catholic believer, I found the way faith and religion, the clergy and believers were treated very appalling, particularly, in a story about demon possession. Obviously, the author was way out of his league, in writing about some he has no clue. There is many good resources, both Catholic and other denominations that could have been researched! If you want real thrillers, read those, not this!
It’s unpredictable because it’s predictable!
Very entertaining but twisted.
The story revolves around an American family based in Massachusetts with their teen-aged daughter suffering from a mental illness. It’s more of a psychological thriller and science fiction and also shows aspects of Catholic exorcism.
Took me fifty pages to get into the flow of this novel, but once I was in, I was addicted.
A Head Full of Ghosts is The Exorcist meets Ghost Adventures, a modern take on a both possession and the world of reality TV. Majorie Barrett is only 14 when she begins acting bizarrely. None of her doctors are able to help her, and as the family begins to fall apart, they turn to the church. In an odd twist, it is the priest that not only suggests an exorcism but who involves a reality TV production.
Nothing about that could go wrong, right?
The power of A Head Full of Ghosts is found in its narrative. Most of the story is told through the perspective of Merry, some of it through a present narrative but the majority by a younger Merry. The other, less frequent narrative is that of a horror fan blogger named Karen. It’s a great style that helps bring the reader right into the story, and keeps them there.
The horror of this novel was not found in blood and gore. It was found in uncomfortable moments and in the atmosphere. There is an ever-present sense of foreboding, moments that are cringe-worthy. Such a great read!
My recommendation: If you love a book that gets into your head and makes you think, this is a great read!
A brilliant story that secretly curls around you, then yanks you in before you have a chance to breathe. Both an homage and a contemporary answer to Blatty’s The Exorcist. Worth the read, without question.
Wow. I love everything spooky but “A Head Full of Ghosts” is something much bigger than just a spooky story. I finished the book a few days ago and I’m still processing what it was. A story of possession? A story of a young girl becoming a victim of adults blindly believing in possession? A story of insanity? Or, perhaps, a story of crumbling patriarchy – in grown-up Merry’s words – and the decline of the middle class in general? The best thing about this book is that it keeps you thinking and guessing from the very beginning and to the very end. Its complex structure, with Merry’s blog inserts and double timeline, creates a narrative that flows smoothly and gains force with every chapter. You can almost feel the tension growing as young Merry’s older sister, Marjorie, acts stranger and stranger. But who is the real madman of the story? The supposedly troubled teenager who will go to great lengths to help her family, the patriarch of the family who thinks that he knows best, or is there something entirely different going on there? There will be more questions than answers the further you dive into the story, but that’s what I appreciate the most about my books – the fact that they make me really think. If you love haunting, complex reads, this one should be right up your alley. This is one of those rare gems I’ll definitely be re-reading again and again.
This book is messed up and I loved it.
Maybe the best horror book I read in the 2010s.
It was as good as and reminded of Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”. It is one of the best scary books that I have read in a long time. Paul Tremblay has become one of my favorite writers….one whose next books I eagerly look for.
You won’t regret picking this book up!
One of my favorite horror novels for sure