A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

If you’re a fan of horror, you can’t afford to miss out on Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts. I have been reading horror novels for almost thirty years, and this title stands out as being one of the creepiest books I have ever read.  Using the voice of eight year-old Merry, the novel introduces us to the Barretts, a seemingly all-American family, stretched thin since John Barrett’s (father) lay-off nearly a year and a half before the events in the book take place. Barely subsisting on Sarah Barrett’s (mother) income as a bank teller, stress is high, but not unusually so, and the happiness of the family, while a bit frayed around the edges, is apparent. The family’s well-being is put under even more strain when Merry’s sister, fourteen year-old Marjorie, begins behaving oddly. Merry is the first to notice something isn’t quite right with her sister, when the girls’ storytelling game takes a decidedly darker turn. As Marjorie’s behavior becomes even more erratic and downright horrifying, the family is torn.  John Barrett seeks the help of a supportive priest, father Wanderly, while Sarah prefers to place her hopes for Marjorie’s recovery in the hands of a psychiatrist.  After a terrifying incident, to which Merry is the sole witness, John ignores his wife’s wishes and petitions the priest for an exorcism. Father Wanderly invites the attention of a television network, whose coffers finally fill the Barrett pantry for the first time in over a year, and a film crew is brought in to witness Marjorie’s supposed possession and her inevitable, ratings-catching exorcism.  Family and film crew alike will get more than they bargain for by the end of the season.  All through the tale the reader questions whether Marjorie is indeed possessed, putting on a show, or simply suffering from a terrible mental illness.  At a slim 284 pages, with not a wasted word, A Head Full of Ghosts will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the very end.

Jennifer Wilson