Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
Is your best friend having unexplained bursts of anger? Do you smell rotten meat in her presence? Do you feel cold every time she is near?
If the answer is yes, your friend just may be possessed by a demon. And that bites because high school is hard enough without demonic possession crashing the party.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is written by Grady Hendricks, and it is published by Quirk Books. In the coming of age story, we are introduced to Abby Rivers and Gretchen Lang. Friend's since the fourth grade, they have had one another's backs through the rough times in life. And entering high school in the late 1980s comes with headaches of adolescence. But something is wrong with Gretchen. She is not herself. And there is a rank stench that seems to follow her everywhere. She is lashing out, swearing, and has mysterious gouge marks on her arms.
The adults think it's drugs. Her friends think she is crazy. Abby thinks she is being assaulted by a trusted friend or relative, explaining her changed appearance and demeanor. No one would ever suspect that a demon has set up residence in the high-schooler. And he is ready to take complete control of her. Can Abby find the help she needs to drive the monster from her friend before too many die? It sounds like a job for an exorcist.
My Best Friend's Exorcism was a fun and often scary read that had me finishing this story in one day. Hendrix cleverly names every chapter after a famous song from the 1980s. He also gives digital readers a link to all the music on Spotify. I loved the nostalgia of this novel. I was a teenager in the 80s and picked up on every reference Hendrix popped into his writing. Abby and Gretchen's amazing friendship reminded me of my own grade school friendships that last to this day. Much of the pop culture we see nowadays has a lot to thank the decade. Hendrix's grasp on the teenage vision was dead-on, giving the characters extra depth. He built the possession slowly and gave us clues here and there that harkened back to every possession film ever made. But it was the exorcism itself that took this book to a higher level of storytelling. Hendrix led me to believe that it would be the typical Hollywood exorcism. What he did give me was a passionate display of one girl's battle to save the soul and life of her best friend. I teary-eyed a few times during the finale, even though the appearance of the demon was quite terrifying.
I read this book in part with the narration of actress, Emily Woo Zeller. She did a fantastic job performing the narrative. She covered many voices, including a surprising demon voice that startled me when she first spoke his lines. I look forward to more voice work from Zeller.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is my first five-star novel read this year. It was fun, scary, and delivered a take on exorcism that changed the game in my opinion. It is a totally awesome read digitally, but the paperback is shaped like a VHS tape box. Nostalgia, horror, and teenage angst is a great combination for a horror novel. Have fun with this one!
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading this week.
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