I’ve mentioned this already, but there just wasn’t enough horror rep in the NYT‘s top books of the 21st century. So as I share with you some of my personal picks for the best books of this century, you had to know more horror was going to come up. This one is another one from Paul Tremblay, who I mentioned a couple months ago. But why not read two Paul Tremblay books this summer? Especially when this one is, again, one of the BEST BOOKS of the century. Hear me out.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
I don’t reread books (I really don’t) but you’ll note that one of the things a lot of the books on my “best of the century” list have in common is that I have read them not once, not twice, but many times. That’s because books like Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts give you more and more to think about with each read.
Is this book a psychological thriller or supernatural horror? It kind of depends on what you think happened. You might change your mind with every subsequent read. No spoilers here, though.
The Barretts are your typical American family, but their lives are turned upside down when 14-year-old Marjorie Barrett begins to show signs of schizophrenia. When doctors are unable to help, the Barretts start wondering if something supernatural is happening to their daughter. They turn to Father Wanderly, a priest and an exorcist, for answers.
Setting up an exorcism isn’t easy, and the medical bills are piling up. On top of everything else the Barretts have been dealing with, Marjorie’s father, John, has been out of a job for the past year. With money problems looming, the Barrett family turns to a surprising answer to take care of the bills: a reality TV show. The Possession becomes a hit reality TV show that people can’t stop talking about. And 15 years after the events at the Barrett’s home in New England, people are still talking about the show.
But what really happened at the Barrett house 15 years ago? Did the show get the whole story? Through blog reflections and an interview with Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry, we learn more about what really happened, and yet, somehow, we seem to get further and further from the truth.
A Head Full of Ghosts is as intriguing as it is unsettling. Much like the TV show The Possession within the world of this book, I think this story is one horror fans will be thinking about for years to come. There have been talks about A Head Full of Ghost being adapted into a movie for quite some time, but it looks like this is finally happening later this year. As much as I am incredibly excited to see one of my favorite books as a film, part of me wonders what will change about how readers interpret the story post-movie. How will the reality of the story be shaped after the movie shares its interpretation?
Read this book soon, before someone else comes around and tells you what to think about it! I promise you won’t regret it.