Scan barcode
A review by alba_marie
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
OMG I love Grady Hendrix. He is SUCH a weirdo! But his books are such a good type of weird that he's becoming an instant-read for me.
This is now my third book by him – after The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires and Horrorstör and I have loved them all.
One thing that seems important to Hendrix is voice – or lack thereof. Giving voice to the silenced, and pointing out the unfairness of those whose voices are dismissed or even taken away. In the Southern Book Club, he gives voice to under-appreciated 80's housewives who are repeated dismissed by their husbands when they attempted to bring their new neighbour's bad intentions to light. In Horrorstör, he gives voice to minimum wage employees who are often overlooked by society simply because they are defined by their jobs. And in this book, he gives voice to 80's teenagers – particularly teenage girls – whose fears and concerns and attestations are repeatedly ignored and belittled and even punished by their parents.
Hendrix is also quite clever in addressing the issues surrounding sexual assault without actually including a sexual assault. In the Southern Book Club, the vampire was used as a stand-in for a rapist – particularly in terms of how the women's accusations were treated by men.
Something similar happens here in My Best Friend's Exorcism... demonic possession is a stand in for unwanted bodily assault. He is more overt in this one, actually calling out rape. Adult reactions are similar in this book as Book Club – those in power do everything they can to deride and punish the accusers because in making their accusations, they are essentially rocking the status quo.
At times challenging, darkly comical, thought-provoking and gross, the book, designed to resemble an American 1980s yearbook, is certainly a standout, and I recommend this (or any) of Grady Hendrix's strange but superb horror books.
This is now my third book by him – after The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires and Horrorstör and I have loved them all.
One thing that seems important to Hendrix is voice – or lack thereof. Giving voice to the silenced, and pointing out the unfairness of those whose voices are dismissed or even taken away. In the Southern Book Club, he gives voice to under-appreciated 80's housewives who are repeated dismissed by their husbands when they attempted to bring their new neighbour's bad intentions to light. In Horrorstör, he gives voice to minimum wage employees who are often overlooked by society simply because they are defined by their jobs. And in this book, he gives voice to 80's teenagers – particularly teenage girls – whose fears and concerns and attestations are repeatedly ignored and belittled and even punished by their parents.
Hendrix is also quite clever in addressing the issues surrounding sexual assault without actually including a sexual assault. In the Southern Book Club, the vampire was used as a stand-in for a rapist – particularly in terms of how the women's accusations were treated by men.
Something similar happens here in My Best Friend's Exorcism... demonic possession is a stand in for unwanted bodily assault. He is more overt in this one, actually calling out rape. Adult reactions are similar in this book as Book Club – those in power do everything they can to deride and punish the accusers because in making their accusations, they are essentially rocking the status quo.
At times challenging, darkly comical, thought-provoking and gross, the book, designed to resemble an American 1980s yearbook, is certainly a standout, and I recommend this (or any) of Grady Hendrix's strange but superb horror books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, and Sexual violence
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, and Classism