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

dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

0.25

I absolutely hated this book. Its depiction of mental illness is harmful and gross. The author's attempts to be self-aware ultimately fail, and it follows every horrible part of 'possession'. The premise is a bit interesting, and could have worked if the author delved further into the effects of the TV show on the family, specifically Marjorie.
... and didn't have Marjorie ultimately kill herself and her parents, leaving her baby sister to rot..
When the main question of a book is "Is this character possessed or mentally ill?", it's hard to find anything likable about it. It's annoyingly written, and is essentially just trauma porn.

If you're looking for well written horror with investigation of mental illness at the forefront, I highly suggest The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. As a person with mental-illness, that book was almost comforting and beautifully written. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings