I appreciated that this was a modern day possession focused story but what I think I appreciated the most about it is how little Tremblay tried to convince the reader that Marjorie was truly possessed by a demon instead of possibly being truly sick. 6) Some other creepy descriptive moments stand out. A Head Full of Ghosts is written from the perspective of the Barrett's younger daughter, Merry, fifteen years after The Possession airs. I cant be sure how much of the fear came from Tremblays book and how much came from the dentists drill. The story itself is a great horror story about a so-called possession, a documentary film crew who wants to record it on film and surreal events, but it also refers to many other horror stories, books and films. A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel Kindle Edition - amazon.com Paul Tremblays A Head Full of Ghosts is a first-rate contribution to literary horror and the psychological thriller genre. Also the blog chapters try so hard to paint marjorie as supernatural but other than the blog posts nothing seems supernatural, because the blog is in hindsight so merry is all about self preservation and since everybody in the house is gone she decides what the history/story of the family is. Marjorie tries to alleviate the fear of her sister by saying she was just kidding. A Head Full of Ghosts is a riveting psychological thriller and masterpiece of literary horror. Both are cause for a highly creative horror story that will speak to the imagination. For all the horror fans out there, this book is an absolute joy to read, but the structure will also speak to general book lovers. Very atmospheric and spooky, a perfect read for the #spookathon! Although Karen might not be all too objective herself and interprets scenes with her own input. I just stood there and watched. Marjorie tells Merry on multiple occasions that shes faking the whole possession. Actually I'm not sure if I loved this book or hated it. She says, You believe because its easier than dealing with the idea that you just willingly watched a sick, troubled teenage girl purposefully choose to jump from a ledge (p. 253). She speaks in different voices, engages in self-mutilation and animalistic behavior (e.g. Again, its about finding ones fears in the possibilities that define the wide boundaries of our ignorance. Tremblays novel is intensely metatextualthe characters are aware of our own host of pop culture possession stories; in fact, the novel includes aseriesof blog posts analysing The Possessionas a cliche and stereotypical exorcism story fifteen years after it airs. Shes unsure of many things, vacillates on others, and acknowledges that she might be misremembering certain events. Fifteen years later, Merry is reliving the events, and their catastrophic conclusion, for a book the author is writing. The book has a great ending, and it would be wise not to know anything about it. 5) In one of the more confrontational scenes, Marjorie is angry that Merry has tattled on her, so she threatens to rip her sisters fucking tongue out. She provides a detailed description of how she will do this. (p. 85), Her [Marjories] eyes opened and then rolled into the back of her head, showing off those horrible bright whites with their convoluted red maps . A Head Full of Ghosts is published by Titan (7.99). Karen Brissette does not appear in the novel directly, but is represented through blog posts that appear at the start of every section of the novel. A Head Full of Ghosts (2015) - What Messes with Your Head? Marjorie showed strange mental health problems which couldnt be explained by regular doctors, so they called on Father Wanderly to help them. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Tremblay has written a quite remarkable novel. The Revelation Will Not Be Televised: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Although this is the main focus of the book, which makes it an enthralling and intriguing read, the horror exist also in a very disturbing and surreal way. Lo retiro. To answer questions about A Head Full of Ghosts , please sign up . Merry then notices a green leaf with a curlicue stem had been carefully etched on the back of her hand. I'll keep this short and sweet: one of the best horror novels (maybe the best) I've ever read. She has unpredictable mood swings, night terrors, and violent outbursts. When 8-year-old Merry's older sister exhibits signs of an indeterminate and terrifying affliction, the Barrett family slowly tears itself ap. Although one gets the impression that a supernatural explanation is unlikely, Tremblay nicely piles on evidence that moves in different directions. Its very entertaining to read how Karen describes and explains how the audience is being manipulated by means of editing or perspective, making it not an objective story at all. See for yourself. 2) Marjorie suggests a looming tragedy in a family dinner scene when Merry asks Marjorie if she can borrow her sisters hat. 'Outlander' Season 6 Ending Explained: It's Going To Be A - Newsweek Much like Marjories behavior, this is terrifying just as it stands. While conducting research for another novel, Tremblay stumbled across a series of essays exploring the themes behind William Peter Blatty's novel The Exorcist,[9] one of the most famous fiction novels regarding demonic possession. Clive Barker, "The shape of your path was visible from the beginning." Tremblays novel is a slow boil towards a tragic end, but so much of the horror lies in the journey along the way, not just a climacticjump scare. Despite her age she is incredibly intelligent. Marjorie was. The reference to The Thing by John Carpenter was also great. The production airs as a six-episode reality TV show calledThe Possession. Any book is up for discussion as long as that discussion is respectful. I had high expectations for this novel. Her knowledge about the show and the family extends to research about possession and about horror fiction, films and books. It terrifies Merry, but Marjorie returns to this story throughout the novel as the gap between fiction and fact closes. Any book is up for discussion as long as that discussion is respectful. (2019), Who is the Killer in Scream Queens Season 1, Who is the Killer in Slasher Season 1: The Executioner, Who is the Killer in Slasher Season 2: Guilty Party, Who is the Killer in Slasher Season 3: Solstice, Who is the Killer in Scream Queens Season 2, Black Spot/Zone Blanche Explained: Who is Cernunnos, Channel Zero Season 3 Butchers Block Explained. When it comes to horror movies, things are never as easy as they first appear. A Head Full of Ghostsstarts a little slow, and the perspective of an eight-year-old may take a little bit to get used to, but if you pick up this book, stick with it. A Breakdown of "Beau Is Afraid''s Confusing Ending. She chose to do this because the family was in danger of losing their home and the show's producers were paying their family a large enough amount of money for them to survive. Brissette ultimately points us to an important feature of our psychologythe needs and interests that influence our perception of the world. But Tremblay has written the story in such a way that I have deep empathy for Merry (and Marjorie). The tragedy is a powerful twist in the story and forces a re-evaluation of the events surrounding Marjories alleged possession. A Head Full of Ghosts Summary | SuperSummary Theres evidence, On that note, its worth adding that Tremblays deployment of uncertainty is not confined to the evaluation of Marjories condition. Imagine a literary horror novel that riffs on one of the best and creepiest short stories out there, Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wall-Paper:It is so pleasant to be out in this great room and creep around as I please! Then throw in elements of every tale of possession youve read or seen, from Shirley Jacksons The Haunting of Hill Houseto William Peter Blattys The Exorcist, and youll end up with Paul Tremblays AHead Full of Ghosts, one of the mostfrightening books Ive read this,or any, year. Nope. (p. 78), Mom wasnt in the room. April 24, 2023 by Megan Hippler. Bringing it more into the modern was the added layer of the reality show, which gave us yet another level from which we could view of the situation as well as its exacerbating factors. The true climax of the Barrett story actually occurs weeks after the TV show has ended, when a horrific tragedy hits the Barrett family. Merry realizes that Marjorie is correct. On one occasion I listened to it while having a root canal. A Head Full of Ghosts is the fourth [4] horror novel by American writer Paul G. Tremblay. The novel creates enough space for the reader to remain open to each of these possibilities as the characters and situations invoke or suggest them in the course of the story. like. The Exorcist was an exercise in Catholic theology and apologetics, pure and simple. Blattys narrative tolerates uncertainty, ambiguity, and doubt about as much as it tolerates the devil. But SuperSummary Study Guides available only to subscribers provide so much more! 3) In another scene, Merry wakes up to find that someone has drawn vines and leaves all over her large cardboard playhouse. The story is all about the so-called possession of Marjorie. The playhouse with the branches and vines is a great example that was a very compelling scene. It walks a knife's edge of "is this illness, supernatural event, or fraud" in . That is clear. Why? Its just a bonus feature that makes it all the more entertaining. It's a hate-filled homage to the media's obsession with exploiting people in need and while they're at their lowest. Mr. Barrett enlists the assistance of a priest (Father Wanderly) to perform an exorcism on his daughter. I really don't think so, although she certainly allowed the trauma of the exorcism impact the way she manipulated Merry that last time - with the alleged cultesque cross shrine in the basement. We believe theres something supernatural happening because we want to believe this. does it imply it's actually Merry that's possessed? The ending disappointed me, but it was still a pretty darn scary read. Fear is an essential part of the human story, and good horror lets us know it. When 8-year-old Merry's older sister exhibits signs of an indeterminate and terrifying affliction, the Barrett family slowly tears itself apart. It was from Marjorie. Nevertheless, it has a strong functional purpose, which is a part of the underlying mystery about whether Marjorie was really possessed or not. [Its up to your own interpretation, but for me.. i think that marjorie was possessed the entire time and when merry realized what she had done to her family she went into a fugue state. Due to money problems they also decided to bring in a film crew to record everything for the tv show The Possession.. I had read Paul Tremblay's collection of short stories, In the Mean Time, earlier this year, and I greatly enjoyed it. It's one of the more popular horror novels this year, and the premise (about a young girl named Merry witnessing her family dealing with the possible demonic possession of their daughter and their choice to not only perform an exorcism but to film it for a reality show) is a set up for some chilling entertainment. Fiction is my confession." This ambiguity permeates the events that the TV show documents. As Blatty himself has said, the Exorcist is really about Father Karrass crisis of faith. Last night, I pinched your nose shut until you opened your little mouth and gasped. I first read "A Head Full of Ghosts" as a straight-ahead story about an abusive would-be-family-annihilator with a seriously mentally ill daughter who manipulates her younger sister into poisoning the whole family before their dad gets the chance. I wont spoil anything for you, so I cant say much. Me too. Both hands, and they gyrated up and down, making wet sounds. She plays creepy and threatening pranks on her younger sister Merry (short for Meredith), and tellsher sister eerie stories in which their dad murders their family and buries their bodies in the basement. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. It needs no devils or demons to make it scary. Her arms and legs were spread-eagled, with her hands, wrists, and feet, and ankles sunk into the wall as though it were slowly absorbing her. Is she (intentionally or unintentionally) spinning the Barrett story? In essence, A Head Full of Ghosts is a book about a book about a TV show about a real-life event whose facts have never been fully established, with running meta-commentary by a blog that bears its own secret agenda. Marjorie was very, very sick. The book is told from the perspective of Meredith "Merry" Barrett, a 23-year-old who is finally ready to share details of the horrific incidents that occurred when she was eight years old. Its not necessary for the reader to believe that Marjorie is demonically possessed. The TV show makes her possession lucrative. Whats so special about this book is the storytelling and structure itself, that is so well-crafted that it takes a somewhat standard horror story to a next level. "Karen" also provided us another view to the story, so there were multiple angles to consider throughout the novel. It transforms the possession motif, and it does so with literary grace and philosophical sophistication. New posts can be found in the Wellbeing Hub news. Beau Is Afraid's Ending Explained | POPSUGAR Entertainment 1) Early in the novel, Marjoriewho enjoys telling Merry scary storiestells Merry a scary story about unstoppable growing things that consume a town. Her hands were between her long, skinny, pale legs. Join now to access our Study Guides library, which offers chapter-by-chapter summaries and comprehensive analysis on more than 5,000 literary works from novels to nonfiction to poetry. Karen Brissette, doesnt believe that Marjorie was really possessed and thinks it was all a hoax. Madness is really the unconstrained universe of all possibilities, and the inability to say which is yours. Brissette ultimately points us to an important feature of our psychologythe needs and interests that influence our perception of the world. Their dad is a monster, and Merrys his next victim. But notice that theres nothing obviously supernatural in anything above. On its surface, A Head Full of Ghosts is easy to grasp: A 23-year-old woman named Merry Barrett is working with an author, Rachel Neville, on a book about Merry's troubled childhood specifically a time 15 years earlier, when Merry's older sister, Marjorie, was behaving so hideously that it led their unemployed, religious father to blame demonic possession. 4) Early in the novel Merry says she once woke up and found a note in green crayon left on her chest. Tremblay is upfront about his influences; the lengthy authors notes on my Kindle version discuss every pop culture reference in the book, as well as his primary reference points: The Exorcist, Shirley JacksonsWe Have Always Lived in the Castle, and Charlotte Gilmans 1892 short storyThe Yellow Wallpaper (which you shouldread here, if you have the time). A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay | Goodreads It can deploy ambiguity to help the reader experience the fear that lurks in the open space of possibilities. His essays and short fiction have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly online, and numerous years-best anthologies. Outlander Season 6 has come to a seriously dramatic end after eight episodes of tension, murder, and a forever looming war. Ask the Author. Welcome back. As do other works in the possession genre, the novel contrasts supernatural and natural explanations. Its not necessary for the reader to believe that Marjorie is demonically possessed. We know early on this all ends in tragedy, but the details of what exactly happened unspool over the course of the story. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Me too. John Barrett is the father of Merry and Marjorie. Its allthere, I believe, but difficult to gather and keep together. The looming crisis over the U.S. debt ceiling may soon require the House speaker to make a painful choice. The show lasted just six episodes, thanks to an explosive incident involving a Catholic exorcism; since then, Merry has tried to cope with the unimaginable tragedy that followed. Is Marjorie suffering from a mental illness? And of course, there are those voices she hears in her head, the ghosts in her head. From H.P. . While your are watching or reading for that matter, you are being manipulated, directed to a certain point of view about how the events unfolded. She confesses at the end of the story that shes not sure what really happened fifteen years earlier. Tremblay dedicatesthe book to the latter, and his heroines story even her name are, perhaps most of all, a subtle play on Jacksons WeHave Always Lived in the Castle, narrated by Merricat. [3], The novel was also praised for being self-referential and comedic without parodying the horror genre. Whole lotta spoilers below, they will be mostly tagged (except my final paragraphs) but if you are on mobile, the spoiler tags may or may not work - IDK why Reddit sometimes does that. Perhaps because the alternative is more horrifying. Why? If you like dark stories like The Exorcist you definitely should read this modernized version. Well, she was only eight at that time. Titled "I Am Not Alone", Episode 8 saw Claire Fraser (played by . Unlike traditional possession narratives, though, Mr. Barrett brings in a TV crew to document the possession phenomena and exorcism. Madness is really the unconstrained universe of all possibilities, and the inability to say which is yours. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Get help and learn more about the design. It is told in an unconventional way with an intriguing structure. A Head Full of Ghosts Paul Tremblay 3.80 72,041 ratings9,798 reviews Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Horror (2015) The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia. There is much to piece together and try to understand after the novel ends and much to enjoy while reading it. Enjoy! It freely deploy the limits of perspective in the service of dialing in our more primitive fears. And why do archetypes still hold so much power over our psyches, even in this cynical, tech-savvy era? Well, I liked all the references to The Exorcist and wondered if the story here around Majorie and Merry was staged by Majorie from beginning to end. Inside the temple is a large garden full of fruit trees and vegetable patches, as well as a bamboo grove and a lotus pond. Merry tells her story to Rachel, who wants to write a book about the whole thing, about the possession and the eventual exorcism and what went wrong. I wasn't necessarily scared while reading this, but I was definitely entertained. That is clear. She acted and sounded like a little kid. To me that makes the most sense but we all have different experiences and thoughts when reading any novel that is this ambiguous. Stephen King said of Tremblays book, it scared the hell out of me. Yeah. She begins to exhibit symptoms of sickness, which not coincidently resemble the actual Marjories sickness. Do you feel like the end was stupid? : r/CODGhosts - Reddit But only to point out that Merry seeing her breath in the coffee shop might be important (maybe it points to some supernatural explanation of the events after all) or it might not be (maybe the heat is just on the fritz and her seeing her breath is not supernatural but a metaphor for how she's been affected by everything she's been through). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The Barretts, broke and desperate, Marjories Catholic father believing in a possession, her mother dealing with the situation by dragging her to psychiatrists, agree to their family being filmed for a reality television show, The Possession, which culminates in an exorcism. Much like Marjories behavior, this is terrifying just as it stands. A very interesting novel written in a modern but sometimes a bit confusing way. Ive been doing it for weeks now, since the end of summer. The relationship between Merry and Marjorie is in the least deranged, due to Marjories illness or possession, but it goes much further than that. Blatty designed his narrative to support faith in God. Like trying to scoop up and hold a thousand pennies in my hands at once.. Religion is the biggest monster in this novel, to me. A Head Full of Ghosts: A Review - Cup of NirvanaCup of Nirvana . A Head Full of Ghosts, by Paul Tremblay: Scared the living hell out of me, and Im pretty hard to scare Stephen King. On top of that, it's told by an eyewitness whose reliability is just as problematic. Udah 5 jam selesai baca "A Head Full of Ghosts" & masih kepikiran Pas baca mikir "WOI INI UDH JELAS MENTAL ISSUE" tapi sll ada yg janggal - and the book plays on it so well up until the end It's bitter and leaves you with no explanation because that's what the characters know I was a big Poe fan in high school, and read some Lovecraft too. In many ways, it feels like every possession story in the 20th century has led up to this book. Merry finds a note that says, Theres nothing wrong with me, Merry. Marjories dad John Barrett, a devoutly religious man, is sure his daughter is possessed. GHOSTS (Thursday, May 11 at 8:30 pm) "The Heir" (Season 2 finale) - When a woman shows up claiming to be the rightful heir to Woodstone Mansion, Sam and Jay enlist the help of a lawyer . After turning to the Catholic Church for guidance, he becomes increasingly paranoid and is convinced that Marjorie is not mentally ill, but instead has been possessed. A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay [SPOILERS] Just finished the audiobook version. Brissettes comments about the, Knowing that there would be obvious similarities between his novel and. Tremblay ambitiously structures the story as a pingponging narrative that coalesces into an unsettling conversation about the truth, or what the various characters suspect is the truth. Creepy, dark and often quite sad, Tremblay's latest is unique and unpredictable. A Head Full of Ghosts is a horror novel by American writer Paul G. Tremblay. As we follow Merry as a precocious 8-year-old, we see that her home life is strained. Their skeptical mother disagreed, and the fractures that appeared in the family were ripped open when they agreed to let a TV network turn their ongoing crisis into a reality show called The Possession. I was a big Poe fan in high school, and read some Lovecraft too. Jason Heller is a senior writer at The A.V. As a philosopher, I appreciate how the story articulates and deploys uncertainty and ambiguity about the actual cause(s) of Marjories alterations in personality and behavior. A game taking the ghosts on missions to take out the remaining Federation leaders. Heather Scott Partington: This book certainly freaked me out. Marjorie clinging to the wall like a spider? Usually, I'm against thinking too hard. She then adds: Ill keep your tongue and put it on a string, wear it like a necklace, keep it close against my chest, let it taste my skin until it turns black and shrivels up like all dead things do. Ghosts of War ends with Chris going back into the simulation, hoping to do things differently and make amends. Given she's an unreliable narrator I can't help but ponder the possibility it's been her the whole time manipulating and ultimately causing the death of her family. . However, the point of view also has another layer, as Merry's story is told in flashbacks. And beyond unsettling behavioral shifts, there are the more disturbing if not frightening forms of psychological disorder, for example, schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder. Consequently, the novel has considerable self-consciousness. Horror, fantasy and science fiction: movie, tv, book reviews and more. When merry is discovered hiding under the table with her mothers thumb in her mouth after the entire family is murdered i believe that whatever possessed her sister projected itself into merry so merry became the new "host" and thats why she sees her breathe in the coffee shop because the worker said it was on the fritz. Merry tells this story to a writer named Rachel Neville. (p. 66). To redeem their family from the financial hardship thats been eating away at their family. When the book begins, Marjorie is a normal fourteen-year-old teenager. Im a little bit confused and would like to hear your guys theories! Whats that point philosopher William James makes? She opened her mouth, and vomit slowly oozed out onto her spaghetti plate. I loved the description of her excess energy and the clever way her parents dealt with it. The main focus is horror, but you can also find fantasy and science fiction on BHG. While everyone believes that Marjorie is possessed, 8 year old Merry is the only one who doubts her sister for other more sinister reasons. It needs no devils or demons to make it scary. these idiots are clueless. Fatherly Wanderly attempts to marshal evidence of demonic possession as the events are unfolding. The storytelling is all about how it is told and from which point of view, which makes it interesting. But the novel also plays different natural explanations against each other. I was so completely captivated from the start! Its fun, but you might also learn something and maybe are able to add more titles to your to-read or to-watch list. . The truly shocking and deeply affecting part of this story, for me, was obviously the ending when we find out that Merry, and not her father, had ultimately killed the family, albeit under false pretenses and manipulation. For Rachel to have a letter proving that, yes, their father did have cyanide to "do what he knows he has to do" led me to think that their father did plan to kill them but Marjorie beat him to the punch. The novel explicitly identifies schizophrenia as the suspect, though some of Marjories symptoms suggest the presence of a personality disorder, perhaps even dissociative pathology (specifically, dissociative identity disorder). Never quite knowing the truth amidst the space of possibilities keeps the reader off balance. Unlike traditional possession narratives, though, Mr. Barrett brings in a TV crew to document the possession phenomena and exorcism. Maybe thats the true horror of the story. Karen Brissette retrospectively deconstructs the alleged evidence in her blog. . Yet, if Merrys in bed next to me, Im sleeping with one eye open three nights a week. paul tremblay interviews me, or "me" here: This book blew me away. That being said I loved the sisters and their relationship; the character of the little sister, Merry, was especially well done. How do stories metamorphose every time they're told, and why is that more true now, in the age of digital information, than ever? And fear, of course, feeds on the unknown. We lose the fear that thrives on the unresolved, all those what-ifs, and the menacing realization of just how little we know. The Possession series ends with considerable ambiguity as to whether Marjorie was really demonically possessed. In spite of that proximity to so much chilling history, the book is not your typical tale of the supernatural. Ghosts of War ending explained: Explore the mind-bending twist - HITC As Friedkin never tires of telling audiences,The Exorcist is about the mystery of faith. Although Friedkin is not a Catholic, Blatty is. Is Marjorie really demon possessed? She sat propped up against the headboard with pillows folded and stuffed behind her back. This blog, which is written by a girl named Karen, is diving into a deconstruction of the reality TV show that Merry and her family starred in called The Possession. This particularly comes to Merry's attention after her sister begins telling her strange and macabre stories instead of innocent ones based on characters from Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Accordingly, A Head Full of Ghosts is also set in New England in Beverly, Mass., just across the Danvers River from Salem. Tremblay has no interest in sending a religious message or reinforcing religious dogmas. Themes include elements of Catholic exorcism and reality television exploitation. For more resources related to student health and wellbeing, please visit our Wellbeing Hub website. The climax of A Head Full of Ghosts, though, is neither the exorcism nor Marjories apparent levitation. There are lots of scenes that are so elusive and strange, making it surreal that its hard to distinguish between reality and whats in a childs mind.