“The lives of the Barretts, a normal 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 bizarre outbursts and subsequent descent into madness. As their 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 for a reality television show.”
This is a very polarizing book but I enjoyed it a lot! There were scenes from the book that I feel like will stay with me for a long time. Definitely pretty graphic at times, I would not recommend it to someone who is new to horror. But I love Tremblay’s writing style and the way he left parts of the book ambiguous. His focus on characters makes you become heavily invested in the story and the backdrop of a reality TV show gives some aspects of the story a “found footage” feeling.
You can also read this book at any time on Hoopla.
