A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

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A Head Full of Ghosts
Cover of A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Author(s) Paul Tremblay
Published June 2, 2015
Publisher William Morrow
Genre(s) Horror
Age group Adult


A Head Full of Ghosts is an adult horror novel by Paul Tremblay. It was first published on June 2nd, 2015.

Summary

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.

To her parents' despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie's descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts' plight. With John, Marjorie's father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.

Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie's younger sister, Merry. As she recalls those long ago events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television begin to surface--and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed, raising vexing questions about memory and reality, science and religion, and the very nature of evil.

Trigger Warnings

  • Alcohol
  • Assault
  • Blood
  • Child abuse
  • Demons
  • Drugs (medication mentions)
  • Emesis (graphic)
  • Gore
  • Hallucinations (mainly auditory)
  • Hospitalization (fully off-page)
  • Misogyny
  • Murder
  • Occult
  • Pedophilia (only mentioned as accusation)
  • Poisoning
  • Profanity
  • Satan/The Devil
  • Self-harm
  • Sexually explicit scenes (graphic, purposefully disturbing)
  • Suicide

Representation

An asterisk (*) indicates that the author openly identifies with that identity.

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