"My Best Friend's Exorcism"

“My Best Friend’s Exorcism”

Written by Grady Hendrix

Review written by Diana Iozzia

Every few years, I find a new coming-of-age story about friendship that is worth every admiration. Never did I think that I would find it in a book about teenager girls, one of which has been possessed by a demon. However, this book was absolutely spectacular, and you won’t be able to avoid my recommendations of it, until the end of time. Grady Hendrix was a new author to me, but he’s always been in the periphery, writing notable horror or about it, such as “We Sold Our Souls”, “Horrorstör”, and “Paperbacks from Hell”. I had spotted “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” on the audiobook app I use, Hoopla, and decided to give it a try.

“My Best Friend’s Exorcism” follows our main character, Abby, through a third person perspective that felt very intuitive but refreshing. I have been a bit tired lately of first person, especially for young adult fiction. We meet Abby quickly in a flash forward, talking about the exorcist. Then, we jump back to young Abby in the younger years, meeting Gretchen for the first time, when only Gretchen arrives at Abby’s roller rink birthday party. We see the girls become fast friends, in a fashion that screams 80s nostalgia. Then, we continue through the story until the ultimate moment that Abby’s and Gretchen’s lives are changed forever.

There are so many incredible marvels within this book. The setting, location, time, and atmosphere provide for a very nostalgic childhood, even though I wasn’t a child during this era. I feel that the 80s time periods allow for fun references, old jokes, catchphrases, and iconic objects from the time period, including music, TV, clothing, and films. Abby’s favorite film is “E.T.” I find this movie to be inspirational for this book, especially the true friendship between a boy and his odd friend. Abby, Gretchen, and their friends go to a Catholic school, which gives an interesting look back into the ideals and morals at the time. The preachers talk about the influence of drugs, sex, and sins, which can be a bit overbearing at times, but it allows for a well-represented school experience. The portrayal of middle and high school is so real and authentic, which hardly comes across in teen fiction. I felt that this book had a perfect balance of serious life difficulties, mental health representation, laugh out loud comedy, friendship, and fantastic horror elements. In addition, I do not feel in teen fiction that the parents are well-written. These parents were very fleshed out, cared about the children, and had an important presence.

For a book so grounded in reality, this book does go to some wicked places, and boy, is it jaw-dropping once we arrive there. Naturally, a book about an exorcism has certain tropes it needs to include. We usually read about the catalyst, the moment the demon is unleashed. There are characters introduced that are the caring loved ones, who want the demon out of the inhabitant. Also, as exorcisms are often Catholic-based, we need a priest. All of these elements are created in a way that allowed this book to feel more than just an exorcism story. I compared this tale to many different films and books, and it impressed more than all of them. I felt that Grady Hendrix drew from all of the great exorcism films and the great horror friendship novels and created a beautiful Frankenstein’s monster.

As far as the actual horrific elements included in this story, I was very surprised by the depths the story would go. There were types of creepy actions and creatures that are not often portrayed in horror, so it was refreshing. The most intense scene in this story for me will obviously not be spoiled by me. If you’ve read the book, just think of the pelican. The horrific imagery was supremely enhanced by the audiobook narrator. In listening to the audiobook, I found that my enjoyment of the story would have been far different. Naturally, an audiobook is often narrated faster than the average person would take to read the story, or myself at least. However, the actual quality of the narration was fantastic. We often get snippets of eerie music. The narrator uses great inflection and narrates each character in a slightly different way. During the actual exorcism, I was a bit speechless.

The conclusion of this story was absolutely wonderful, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any differently.

An aspect that I wished would have been explored more is the actual origin of the demon that inhabits Gretchen. We receive detail about when and how this occurs but not enough detail about why the demon was set free. In addition, I would have liked to know a bit more about the running motif through the story, which was anatomy. It felt a bit underwhelming, to be so sprinkled through. Another slightly odd thing about this story was the age appropriateness. I felt that this book would be more appropriate for older teens, perhaps 16 – 18, due to sexual content, cursing, and some disturbing language. I wouldn’t shy away from it if you dislike that in books as an adult, but I would just warn it for the teens.

I have a great belief that you’ll enjoy this book if you enjoy: “Jennifer’s Body”, “The Exorcist” (duh), “The Birds”, “IT” (the remake), “Stand by Me”, “Stranger Things”, “E.T.”, “The Omen”, “Rosemary’s Baby”. and R.L. Stine’s books.

In conclusion, I will be recommending this book forever. This was one of those random books I decided to take a chance on, and I will be forever looking for more books like this. This was an incredible ride, and I hope you give it a chance. Try listening to the audiobook; I really believe my enjoyment of the book was extremely enhanced. That’s it. I could go on for another five pages if I let myself.