Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

53 reviews

cosypuck's review

2.5

Parts of it I really liked and the setting is well realised, but my overall feeling is that there was too much vile and nauseating body horror, violence against teenage girls, and unnecessary slurs/racism/homophobia for this to be a fun horror read for me. Back to exclusively reading horror not written by men, I guess.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Religious bigotry

coffinfinite's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I went into My Best Friend's Exorcism expecting a fun horror romp with some 80s nostalgia. Instead I found a harrowing tale of evengelical Christian purity culture amplified by the satanic panic of that same era. While the nostalgia element was still present for the pop culture of the time, the oppressive nature of the 80's Southern American values and prejudices are what really power the story of Gretchen Lang's possession and the havoc that it wreaks upon the lives of her friends.

The friendship between Gretchen and perspective protagonist Abby is what lends the book much of its emotional weight. Together they face injustice and violence at the hands of the incompetent and sometimes malicious adults who control their lives, and the sense of hopelessness that grows as the book progresses is palpable, and where much of the true horror comes from. By the book's conclusion I was far more frightened by the small minded mentality of the story's town than I was of the literal demon sowing chaos there.

I would highly recommend this book to those who love Final Girl horror, to those who enjoyed both The Exorcist and Mean Girls, and to anyone who wants to see why purity culture is a far bigger threat to young women than Satan.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, and Mass/school shootings

tqlikesbooks's review

dark funny tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

“For Abby, "friend" is a word whose sharp corners have been worn smooth by overuse. "I'm friends with the guys in IT," she might say, or "I'm meeting some friends after work."

But she remembers when the word "friend" could draw blood."

As can be expected from the cover and description, My Best Friend's Exorcism is a pulpy 80's horror film in book form; fun, cheesy, and with a healthy dose of horror. As someone who is not American and was not alive during the 80's, the heavy reliance on American-centric 80's nostalgia didn't really do anything for me— nevertheless, it was a fun way to explore the moral panic around Satanism. It is important to note that the rampant misogyny of the 80’s make for difficult to read instances of victim blaming and rape apologists.

I enjoyed reading about the characters though they did not have a lot of depth beyond '80's high school student' to the point they felt a little like caricatures. It's well written story but a little overcrowded with high school drama and 80's tropes and clichés.

I did enjoy this tale about the power of friendship overcoming literal demons, though I wasn't blown away by it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Blood, and Vomit

Moderate: Eating disorder, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia