A Head Full of Ghosts

by Paul Tremblay

The lives of the Barretts, a 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 halt 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, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show.Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie's younger sister, Merry. As she recalls the terrifying events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories begin to surface-and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed.

• ISBN13: 9781785653674
• Publish Date: 27 September 2016 (first published 2 June 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Titan Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

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!

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

*Review to come!*

[dpfaef]

I am at a loss how to describe my feelings about this book. To me, the book did not hold up as a horror story, maybe a horrible story?
At age 14, I think that Marjorie was too young to show signs of acute schizophrenia. Demonic possession was a stronger possibility as Marjorie's family was suffering from both financial and emotional problems which could have opened her to that. Marjorie's father John has returned to the church to deal with his self-esteem problems, pitting him against his wife.
It only seems natural that this totally dysfunctional family would be recruited to star in a reality TV show about their mentally ill daughter called "The Possession". Along comes Merry, Marjorie's younger sister who then comes to center stage, the story then begins to revolve around this eight year old. Sadly the story never builds to the slap in the face ending.

This review was originally posted on The Pfaeffle Journal