Scan barcode
A review by degroovy
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
The first thing that grabbed my attention about this book was the cover. The VHS throwback aesthetic on the front, back, and spine immediately jumped out from all the rest on the table at Barnes & Noble and reeled me in. Not only that but it also really set the stage for the rest of the story.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a fun, exciting, scary romp through a classic '80s ghost/demon story that pays homage to its roots without overindulging in nostalgia, a balance that's difficult to strike. All throughout, the prose is snappy, utilizing very palpable, very effective descriptors, metaphors, and similes. It wastes no time in enjoying the familiar tropes of its genre without burning paragraphs; the 1980s setting and linguistics were in top form and the way in which high school life was described was so accurate that it gave me flashbacks, which was the TRUE horror of this story (for me).
The characters are very well written and are easily the best part of the story throughout. I wouldn't say they grow and evolve and have a grandiose character arc but you're seeing them all in a very specific slice of time and the way in which everyone acts and reacts is consistent with how they're presented. The book immediately starts strong by introducing the two main girls and expands on their relationship as the book goes on. They feel alive as real world things that would be of concern to teenagers in the 80s are seeded in. Things like difficult home lives, acne, the drudgery of homework, the disbelief and social isolation surrounding r*pe accusations, all while struggling to grow up in picture perfect neighborhoods where appearance matters more than fact.
On that topic, I really enjoyed the way in which demonic possession and the way it's handled by the characters in the story mirrors the real life public denial toward survivors of r*pe as well as survivors of sexual or religious trauma. It was a clear parallel and a very effective one at that.
Even though I enjoyed the characters a lot, that's not at the expense of the book's plot, there were plenty of moments that had me gagging. Scenes like throwing up feathers, the expulsion of enormous tapeworms from a character, and the murder of a family dog are all described so well and yet are so fleet in word, each moment not taking up more time than it needs to all while enhancing the horror of the moment. And thanks to how quickly the book pulls you into its characters, even the quieter moments are enjoyable and even relatable, such as when Abby gets isolated from Gretchen and the rest of her friends as she starts to realize what's going on or when Abby, in a fit of rage, destroys her momentos of Gretchen, not just standing in as a metaphor for her friendship, but her relationship to the past as well. It was quite sad to me.
All these wonderful ingredients coalesce into a climax that it's equal parts scary, gross, powerful, and sad...but also a little familiar. If you've seen a movie involving an exorcism, I'm afraid you've seen the climax to My Best Friend's Exorcism, unfortunately. Abby links up with a naive preacher who's looking to make Gretchen his first big religious score and treats her condition more like an event than the horror it really is. And in the climax, his flaws are exposed. From there Abby takes over the exorcism but instead of calling to a God she doesn't believe in like the preacher, she prays to all the past, most tender moments of their friendship, believing in the strength of their bond. So, while it is a climax that is commonly trod ground in so many exorcism stories, the thorough character work steps in to give a nice little wrinkle to the formula. In the end, though, the preacher faces a redemption all his own, sacrificing himself in an unexpected way for Abby.
As for the demon itself, I'm not going to spoil too much but I would say Grady Hendrix has done his homework, especially with the vomiting of feathers and the presence of owls.
The ending was wonderful and bittersweet and had me thinking off all my dear friends, the ones I frequently contact, and the ones who could use a bit of warming up so to speak. I greatly enjoyed the final chapter. But I'm also not entirely sure if that was how the story should've ended. It's fairly realistic and believable...but in a book that lovingly plays into tropes and knows what it is, I can't help but wonder if there's a slightly more fitting ending somewhere out there in the ether.
All in all it was a really entertaining read. Only once or twice did I feel myself directly called back to the pages to figure out what would happen next. But when I did make the time for it, it kept me in my seat.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a fun, exciting, scary romp through a classic '80s ghost/demon story that pays homage to its roots without overindulging in nostalgia, a balance that's difficult to strike. All throughout, the prose is snappy, utilizing very palpable, very effective descriptors, metaphors, and similes. It wastes no time in enjoying the familiar tropes of its genre without burning paragraphs; the 1980s setting and linguistics were in top form and the way in which high school life was described was so accurate that it gave me flashbacks, which was the TRUE horror of this story (for me).
The characters are very well written and are easily the best part of the story throughout. I wouldn't say they grow and evolve and have a grandiose character arc but you're seeing them all in a very specific slice of time and the way in which everyone acts and reacts is consistent with how they're presented. The book immediately starts strong by introducing the two main girls and expands on their relationship as the book goes on. They feel alive as real world things that would be of concern to teenagers in the 80s are seeded in. Things like difficult home lives, acne, the drudgery of homework, the disbelief and social isolation surrounding r*pe accusations, all while struggling to grow up in picture perfect neighborhoods where appearance matters more than fact.
On that topic, I really enjoyed the way in which demonic possession and the way it's handled by the characters in the story mirrors the real life public denial toward survivors of r*pe as well as survivors of sexual or religious trauma. It was a clear parallel and a very effective one at that.
Even though I enjoyed the characters a lot, that's not at the expense of the book's plot, there were plenty of moments that had me gagging. Scenes like throwing up feathers, the expulsion of enormous tapeworms from a character, and the murder of a family dog are all described so well and yet are so fleet in word, each moment not taking up more time than it needs to all while enhancing the horror of the moment. And thanks to how quickly the book pulls you into its characters, even the quieter moments are enjoyable and even relatable, such as when Abby gets isolated from Gretchen and the rest of her friends as she starts to realize what's going on or when Abby, in a fit of rage, destroys her momentos of Gretchen, not just standing in as a metaphor for her friendship, but her relationship to the past as well. It was quite sad to me.
All these wonderful ingredients coalesce into a climax that it's equal parts scary, gross, powerful, and sad...but also a little familiar. If you've seen a movie involving an exorcism, I'm afraid you've seen the climax to My Best Friend's Exorcism, unfortunately. Abby links up with a naive preacher who's looking to make Gretchen his first big religious score and treats her condition more like an event than the horror it really is. And in the climax, his flaws are exposed. From there Abby takes over the exorcism but instead of calling to a God she doesn't believe in like the preacher, she prays to all the past, most tender moments of their friendship, believing in the strength of their bond. So, while it is a climax that is commonly trod ground in so many exorcism stories, the thorough character work steps in to give a nice little wrinkle to the formula. In the end, though, the preacher faces a redemption all his own, sacrificing himself in an unexpected way for Abby.
As for the demon itself, I'm not going to spoil too much but I would say Grady Hendrix has done his homework, especially with the vomiting of feathers and the presence of owls.
The ending was wonderful and bittersweet and had me thinking off all my dear friends, the ones I frequently contact, and the ones who could use a bit of warming up so to speak. I greatly enjoyed the final chapter. But I'm also not entirely sure if that was how the story should've ended. It's fairly realistic and believable...but in a book that lovingly plays into tropes and knows what it is, I can't help but wonder if there's a slightly more fitting ending somewhere out there in the ether.
All in all it was a really entertaining read. Only once or twice did I feel myself directly called back to the pages to figure out what would happen next. But when I did make the time for it, it kept me in my seat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry