Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by bbartkow
In a Dark Place by Al Snedeker, Ed Warren, Carmen Reed, Lorraine Warren, Ray Garton
1.0
I had a hard time finishing this book. I started to really hate it around 2/3 of the way through but I really wanted to know how it ended (abruptly, as it turns out) so I kept going. I’m so glad to be done with it.
I’m neither a strong believer in the supernatural nor a non-believer. I enjoy both fictional and purportedly true stories of the supernatural so when I say this book was completely unbelievable, I don’t refer to the demonic possession, I refer to the the reaction of nearly every character in the book to what they were experiencing. The parents were willfully oblivious to their surroundings and truly horrible to their children, who, on multiple occasions, ran to them in complete terror. I also found it hard to believe anyone would stay in a house after experiencing the extreme demonic torture that they all claim to have experienced. I understand the expense involved in moving but they were renting the apartment and never even considered casually looking for a new apartment during their months and months in this house? And finally, I found the landlords demands when they moved in to be wholly unbelievable. This family moved in to the apartment even after the landlord told them not to move any of the instruments of the former occupants of what used to be a funeral home because they were “interesting” (or some such description; can’t recall the exact wording) and not to move, touch, or even clean the tarnished silver crosses hanging over the doors in the basement? I considered that their reactions might be due to the demonic presence but that was never even floated as a theory so I can only assume they were simply awful people...right up the end when they briefly pondered the condition of their son, by then in a mental institution. I totally understand why the son would not wish to see or speak with them but they apparently hadn’t even spoken with his doctors and received a cursory update on his progress.
A truly awful book occupied by awful people.
I’m neither a strong believer in the supernatural nor a non-believer. I enjoy both fictional and purportedly true stories of the supernatural so when I say this book was completely unbelievable, I don’t refer to the demonic possession, I refer to the the reaction of nearly every character in the book to what they were experiencing. The parents were willfully oblivious to their surroundings and truly horrible to their children, who, on multiple occasions, ran to them in complete terror. I also found it hard to believe anyone would stay in a house after experiencing the extreme demonic torture that they all claim to have experienced. I understand the expense involved in moving but they were renting the apartment and never even considered casually looking for a new apartment during their months and months in this house? And finally, I found the landlords demands when they moved in to be wholly unbelievable. This family moved in to the apartment even after the landlord told them not to move any of the instruments of the former occupants of what used to be a funeral home because they were “interesting” (or some such description; can’t recall the exact wording) and not to move, touch, or even clean the tarnished silver crosses hanging over the doors in the basement? I considered that their reactions might be due to the demonic presence but that was never even floated as a theory so I can only assume they were simply awful people...right up the end when they briefly pondered the condition of their son, by then in a mental institution. I totally understand why the son would not wish to see or speak with them but they apparently hadn’t even spoken with his doctors and received a cursory update on his progress.
A truly awful book occupied by awful people.