A review by guywho_reads
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

4.25

A Head Full of Ghosts is about a normal family who were the subjects of a reality TV show which documented their teenage daughters possession and exorcism. The events are recapped from the youngest daughter Merri, now as an adult. Since she was a little girl at the times of these gruesome events, her narration is unreliable and the film capture may have colored some of her memories. Through her perspective, Merri provides insight into the events leading up to Marjories exorcism that was not shown on TV. We as readers gain a better understanding of the lasting impact it had on everyone else involved. 


More thoughts + SPOILERS: 
OK so I really liked this book!! Paul Tremblay wrote this quick succinct story which worked really well for me. I loved the conversation of whether Marjories really being possessed or struggling with mental illness. It is also implied that she might have a second motivation, which becomes clear at the novels end. Due to the narration style it felt almost like stream of conciousness. The novel closely mirrored events of The Exorcism and how audiences were more fascinated by the slow breakdown of the priest rather than the young girl. Similar vibes here with Marjorie highlighting that people didn’t really care about her but took more of an interest in whats going on with her dad. Paul Tremblay paid homage to classic horror movies that have shaped the genre by name dropping major horror films throughout (mainly in the Merri Blog post sections). Final thoughts are really just how bad ass Marjorie was the whole time. I especially loved the exorcist scene when Marjorie was tearing the priest apart and then ate the flesh off his arm!! I loved every second of it.