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A review by bringmorecoffee
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
The book does read exactly like a summer horror flick. It's giving Jennifer's Body, a little bit of Stranger Things, some of the vibes from the Fear Street series on Netflix. It was very fast paced, going through many years in a short amount of time while making it seem like a thoroughly fleshed out montage.
Sometimes horror being set in the protagonist's teen years feels "overdone," but I think part of the digestible horror of it is how little agency a young adult has and how much they are never believed for the hardships they are going through.
Anyway, the friendship that Hendrix shows us is one that I think most people have either experienced or had a taste of, which makes the pain of the story all the more potent.
Very recommend for a fast, fun read. Like a good 90 minute movie.
Spoiler ahead
Hendrix really ended this book by rhetorically asking
"What could be more holy than friendship? What could be more pure than the love of a young heart and a shared history? What is more evil than the world we live in and the things we do to each other, and what is a better light against that darkness than the spark of hope and belief in another person?"
I was bawling, I was a wreck. As Abby recited every inch of their shared history to expel a demon from her friend, I cried because that love is honestly everything. I thought of every person I could exercise with this "incantation," every friend whom I love and could recite the building blocks of our relationship for. I hope that was Hendrix's aim, too.
Sometimes horror being set in the protagonist's teen years feels "overdone," but I think part of the digestible horror of it is how little agency a young adult has and how much they are never believed for the hardships they are going through.
Anyway, the friendship that Hendrix shows us is one that I think most people have either experienced or had a taste of, which makes the pain of the story all the more potent.
Very recommend for a fast, fun read. Like a good 90 minute movie.
Spoiler ahead
"What could be more holy than friendship? What could be more pure than the love of a young heart and a shared history? What is more evil than the world we live in and the things we do to each other, and what is a better light against that darkness than the spark of hope and belief in another person?"
I was bawling, I was a wreck. As Abby recited every inch of their shared history to expel a demon from her friend, I cried because that love is honestly everything. I thought of every person I could exercise with this "incantation," every friend whom I love and could recite the building blocks of our relationship for. I hope that was Hendrix's aim, too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, and Classism