Scan barcode
amydarcy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
1.0
interesting concept but ultimately a disappointing and poorly written book
hbrxnnxmxn's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A Head Full of Ghosts has a really interesting premise - is it possession or is it a poor girl suffering an intense mental health crisis exacerbated by a fervently religious father and media circus? The story tries to walk the line to have us as readers question this continuously as the events unfold, however the execution fell flat for me. On one hand, we don’t have enough time with the characters and the setup to truly question it, and on the other hand the time we do have is spent in a million different directions to the point in which it feels nothing is able to be explored in a compelling way. Merry is an interesting character, and the last reveal in the book is an intriguing turn, but altogether it felt like a rush to an end that was too disparate to impact me.
oramayjutila's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
daisygunner's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
xenagirl300's review against another edition
5.0
This was an interesting story told from the perspective of the young sister of a potentially possessed person. I was enjoying the story, but thought it would ultimately be a routine exorcism type story. However, the end had me stunned. Did not disappoint.
sparkin's review against another edition
5.0
I'm typing this review while still trying to decide whether this is a 4 or 5-star read.
I can't agree with some of the negative reviews I've read: I looked forward to the blog posts, because even though the writing style is deeply obnoxious, the posts fulfil the dual function of showing how the family's story is perceived by the wider world (who are watching the show and will eventually read Rachel's book) and demonstrating how Merry is endlessly trying to work through her own trauma by trawling through the TV show to find some truth that she'd missed from the tapes. I found the characters compelling, it was hard to put down, and the early scenes of Marjorie becoming very ill and terrifying her sister were creepy as hell. I liked the way it subverted the expectation that Marjorie would die during the exorcism and tried to deal with the aftermath - something we rarely see or think about.
On the other hand, I don't think the ending punched me in the gut in the way it was supposed to. There were a few different ways the deaths could have played out, all of which would have made sense, but the emotional impact wasn't quite there. I actually wonder whether it would have been bleaker and more devastating if the father had committed the murders after all. It makes sense and feels grimly inevitable. Equally, Marjorie planted the seed of family murder and the 'growing things' so early with Merry that she could even have been considering it for some time. And while I love We Have Always Lived In The Castle as much as the next person, I don't buy the idea that Merry might have acted alone - Marjorie's manipulation of her fits the pattern of terrorisation and cruelty she'd developed throughout the novel - or indeed that she is the one who is possessed.
(The main reason: in his 'liner notes', Tremblay refers to the end of The Thing. My read has always been that Macready is the human one *because his breath is visible and so his body temperature is higher*, while Childs' non-visible breath suggests The Thing is him now. I'm inclined to apply that logic here and say that although the visual cues in her black outfit and red coat imply that Merry is wrong to say she isn't the same kid she was back then, she is haunted by trauma but not possessed by a demon.)
Once the TV crew turns up the novel stops being particularly scary, but I really enjoyed the level of ambiguity that kept running throughout and completely felt for Sarah, the mother fighting a battle on all sides including against her own husband.
Damn, it's probably a 4.5 but I'm generous on Goodreads.
I can't agree with some of the negative reviews I've read: I looked forward to the blog posts, because even though the writing style is deeply obnoxious, the posts fulfil the dual function of showing how the family's story is perceived by the wider world (who are watching the show and will eventually read Rachel's book) and demonstrating how Merry is endlessly trying to work through her own trauma by trawling through the TV show to find some truth that she'd missed from the tapes. I found the characters compelling, it was hard to put down, and the early scenes of Marjorie becoming very ill and terrifying her sister were creepy as hell. I liked the way it subverted the expectation that Marjorie would die during the exorcism and tried to deal with the aftermath - something we rarely see or think about.
On the other hand, I don't think the ending punched me in the gut in the way it was supposed to. There were a few different ways the deaths could have played out, all of which would have made sense, but the emotional impact wasn't quite there. I actually wonder whether it would have been bleaker and more devastating if the father had committed the murders after all. It makes sense and feels grimly inevitable. Equally, Marjorie planted the seed of family murder and the 'growing things' so early with Merry that she could even have been considering it for some time. And while I love We Have Always Lived In The Castle as much as the next person, I don't buy the idea that Merry might have acted alone - Marjorie's manipulation of her fits the pattern of terrorisation and cruelty she'd developed throughout the novel - or indeed that she is the one who is possessed.
(The main reason: in his 'liner notes', Tremblay refers to the end of The Thing. My read has always been that Macready is the human one *because his breath is visible and so his body temperature is higher*, while Childs' non-visible breath suggests The Thing is him now. I'm inclined to apply that logic here and say that although the visual cues in her black outfit and red coat imply that Merry is wrong to say she isn't the same kid she was back then, she is haunted by trauma but not possessed by a demon.)
Once the TV crew turns up the novel stops being particularly scary, but I really enjoyed the level of ambiguity that kept running throughout and completely felt for Sarah, the mother fighting a battle on all sides including against her own husband.
Damn, it's probably a 4.5 but I'm generous on Goodreads.
mariesacat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
theseriouscuttlefish's review against another edition
5.0
Gripping and mind blowing
I loved this book, written in the view of Merry, as a child of 8 and an adult 15 years later. I was touched and gripped by the sheer innocence of Merry during her younger years, how her mind coped with such a tragic and terrifying situation that her family were thrown into head first.
How she made sense of the events unfolding and what exactly was happening to her sister who she looked up to, and loved so dearly.
Reading her blog surrounding the TV show 15 years later, I wasn't surprised that she didn't believe her sister was possessed or that anything the TV crew had manifested in the show was true. I speculated that it was because the plot twist was of Merry herself believing blindly that her sister was truthful about everything and helped end her families lives without knowledge - so residual guilt would have formed even if she knew it was out of her 8 year old hands at the time.
So, I could be incorrect but this is my outlook on the plot and I love it.
Overall, I adore this book and it's a book I will read again - the detail into the mind of a child during the 'episodes' of Marjorie, the breakdown of the family home, the imagery that was scattered throughout the novel in regards to story-telling had me turning each page and becoming frustrated when daily life called me away.
I think Paul Tremblay magnificently highlighted the complexity of mental illness and how easily it can be linked to demonic possession when a family has no explanation or solution in sight. The sheer determination of a family who come together whilst being ripped apart to help a loved one, was spectacularly portrayed. If I could give 6/5 I would.
I loved this book, written in the view of Merry, as a child of 8 and an adult 15 years later. I was touched and gripped by the sheer innocence of Merry during her younger years, how her mind coped with such a tragic and terrifying situation that her family were thrown into head first.
How she made sense of the events unfolding and what exactly was happening to her sister who she looked up to, and loved so dearly.
Reading her blog surrounding the TV show 15 years later, I wasn't surprised that she didn't believe her sister was possessed or that anything the TV crew had manifested in the show was true. I speculated that it was because the plot twist was of Merry herself believing blindly that her sister was truthful about everything and helped end her families lives without knowledge - so residual guilt would have formed even if she knew it was out of her 8 year old hands at the time.
So, I could be incorrect but this is my outlook on the plot and I love it.
Overall, I adore this book and it's a book I will read again - the detail into the mind of a child during the 'episodes' of Marjorie, the breakdown of the family home, the imagery that was scattered throughout the novel in regards to story-telling had me turning each page and becoming frustrated when daily life called me away.
I think Paul Tremblay magnificently highlighted the complexity of mental illness and how easily it can be linked to demonic possession when a family has no explanation or solution in sight. The sheer determination of a family who come together whilst being ripped apart to help a loved one, was spectacularly portrayed. If I could give 6/5 I would.