Published by William Morrow Genres: Fiction, Horror, Mystery, thriller
Format: Audiobook
Paul Tremblay has created another gripping book that creates a sense of unease in readers. I listened to the audiobook and thought it was very well done. I loved how this book was told, the pacing and how the plot unraveled. This book was creepy, unsettling, and hard to put down!
The Bennett family is down on their luck and having financial issues. The struggling family has two daughters: fourteen-year-old Marjorie and eight-year-old Merry. Merry is the narrator and the book is told in the present when she is an adult writing a book and being interviewed by a blogger named Karen, and in the past when she is a child. She is talking about her childhood, when her sister began experiencing symptoms and her parents’ reactions to them. Was her sister mentally ill? Was she possessed? Marjorie is taken to a psychiatrist and put on medication, but her symptoms get worse. Maybe she needs a medication adjustment or to try a new medication?
Not knowing what else to do, their father turns to the church and an exorcism is scheduled. A TV crew comes into the home to film “The Possession.” This is where things get creepy. Merry is a child interpreting what she observes and experiences. Both she and her sisters are children. Her sister needs help but will she get the help she needs? What does mental illness look like through the eyes of a child?
Trembley does an excellent job depicting the parents as the father becomes more fanatical and the mother becomes more hesitant. Whatever their motivation, both parents are worried about their daughter. What are you willing to do when faced with poor finances? There is unease, paranoia, and tension flowing throughout this book.
When adult Merry looks back, will she have a different opinion on the events that followed?
Gripping, hard to put down and creepy. I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved the tension and overall vibe of this book.
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