A Head Full of Ghosts
Ratings218
Average rating3.9
I liked how the author set the “past” what happened when Merry was an 8 year old is actually set in our modern day world of reality t.v. Big questions arise like is Marjorie really crazy, is it really a demonic possession is it something in the water (just kidding about the water)? I like the blog from the future dissecting this reality t.v. program. I really liked the ending.
This is going to be so hard. I just finished this (could not put it down! Started it this morning!) What can I say? At first, I didn't really care. I have, at this point in my life, have read or seen enough horror stories that I was convinced that I am beyond being surprised. But what this story quickly became to me was a Cabin in the Woods style thriller that says, “we KNOW you know all about horror. Watch closely because we are going to turn all of the tropes on their heads”. And it does. And not just horror!
I think I found little Merry adorable, and was terrified for her through the entire story. I wanted to care about Marjorie, but she just became a symbol of the “problem” and a threat to Merry. But Merry being only 8 years old at the time of the events is ...unreliable narration at the very least.
The overall sense of desperation for the family in this situation is totally realistic and I felt for them as well.
Here is the thing. I still don't know what to think. I'm not even sure I completely understand what just happened to me, the reader, in the past six hours of reading this. I'm impressed and I will be thinking about this book for a long, long time.
Compelling, spooky, and tons of fun meta stuff for horror fans. Just an absolute gem of a book. 5 sauce-less spaghetti dinners out of 5.
Did I really not rate this when I finished it?
Well, I thought it was very effective, but it's much more in the “disturbing quasi-reality” category of horror that isn't so much my thing. You know the part of The Exorcist I found most awful? All the horrible medical tests Regan had to have! Everything else is dismissable by this hardened materialist, but that shit is genuinely terrifying. This hits some of the same nerves - is this kid possessed, or is she severely mentally ill? The ambiguity involved in the ending only reinforces this theme.
Still, this was very artfully done. If you like this kind of story, run out and get this immediately!