Reviews with content warning for Schizophrenia/Psychosis - A Head Full of Ghosts

Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

101 reviews

alicemorrison1029's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

i loved reading this book. the overall experience was fantastic, but the ending left me unsatisfied. i understand what the author was trying to achieve: he wanted the readers to decide what they thought truly happened to marjorie/john/merry for themselves—what was the true explanation for marjorie’s mental state/behavior: possession or mental illness,

why did marjorie want the rest of the family to be killed, and what is the implication at the end about merry’s soul/spirit?

while usually an ambiguous ending like this would be enjoyable for me, i feel like this specific story requires more answers/explanation to leave the readers feeling satisfied, because, even though i enjoyed the book overall, i wanted more from the ending and was left feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

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jaedia's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jessicalarson125's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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dehernandez3169's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Strong possession book. I enjoyed back and forth between the past and present. Solid book.

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epeolatrist's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can't believe I convinced myself into starting this book at 1 am. I won't lie and say that I'm not easily scared (because I am), but horror novels typically don't rattle me. A Head Full of Ghosts, however, had me on sleeping with the lights on. The novel is as terrifying as it is mysterious--throughout the entire story I couldn't tell whether Marjorie was genuinely possessed or simply an extremely ill teenage girl who needed help. It kept me on my toes while I read every page. It's impressive, to me, to read writing that gives no hints as to what is true and what is not until the end. There were moments when I predicted whether Marjorie's actions were demonic or schizophrenic, but each time I decided, I would change my mind.

I really enjoyed A Head Full of Ghosts (even if it kept me from sleeping). It was a fast and interesting read that scared me to my core. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to read this in my 100-year old childhood home which I've always thought it to be "haunted" (but can you blame me for having an overactive imagination when I read books like this?) I won't spoil the ending for you, but I was amazed at how Paul Tremblay was able to make my jaw drop all the way to the floor. I genuinely loved this one.

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