Book Review - A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Title: A Head Full of Ghosts
Author: Paul Tremblay
Genre: Horror
Published: 2015
 
Description: The lives of the Barretts, a Norman suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.
 
To her parent’s despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves int 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. 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.
 
Review: Sometimes you read a book where, right up until the very last page, you’re not sure what to believe. “A Head Full of Ghosts” is one of those books. A gripping psychological horror novel that constantly keeps you guessing and leaves you pondering everything you’ve read long after you’ve finished.
 
When 14-year-old Marjorie Barrett begins to exhibit increasingly disturbing behavior, her family becomes convinced that she may be possessed. As her condition worsens, a Catholic priest is called in, and the family decides to participate in a reality TV show that documents their lives and Marjorie’s alleged possession. Years later, her younger sister Merry looks back on the events and tries to understand exactly what happened at the time.
 
What an incredibly powerful, unsettling, and unpredictable story. This book contains come truly astonishing plot twists and keeps you constantly questioning what’s real. Is Marjorie really possessed? Is she suffering from a mental illness? Or is something else entirely going on? You constantly wonder whether what Marjorie is experiencing is really, or whether it’s all made up, exaggerated, or being interpreted differently. And the clever part is that you’re never entirely sure which answer to believe.
 
The story is divided into three parts, each with its own perspective. The first part focuses primarily on the events within the Barrett family and the increasingly alarming situation surrounding Marjorie. You get to know the family and see how feat and uncertainty slowly take over their daily lives. In the second part, the focus shifts to the reality show that turns their personal drama into a public spectacle. It shows how the media, ratings, and the demand for entertainment influence the way events are presented and interpreted. The third part brings us back to the present, where the adult Merry shares her memories and tries to piece together the puzzle of her childhood. It is precisely these different perspectives that give the story more and more layers.
 
The story is divided into three parts, each with its own perspective. The first part focuses primarily on the events within the Barrett family and the increasingly alarming situation surrounding Marjorie. You get to know the family and see how fear and uncertainty slowly take over their daily lives. In the second part, the focus shifts to the reality show that turns their personal drama into a public spectacle. It shows how the media, ratings, and the demand for entertainment influence the way events are presented and interpreted. The third part brings us back to the present, where the adult Merry shares her memories and tries to piece together the puzzle of her childhood. It is precisely these different perspectives that give the story more and more layers.
 
The atmosphere is unsettling and menacing from the very beginning, without the author having to constantly rely on cheap jump scares. The horror here lies primarily in the uncertainty, the psychological tension, and the realization that you might not know at all what’s really going on.
 
A book that surprised me several times, kept me constantly in doubt, and left me with a lot of questions. Exactly the kind of psychological horror I thoroughly enjoy.
 
Rating: 5/ 5