A head full of ghosts was merry possessed

A head full of ghosts is a story from the pov of merry barrett. Stephen king is quoted on the cover of a head full of ghosts saying it scared the living hell out of me. Danielewskis house of leaves, john ajvide lindqvists let the right one in, and shirley jacksons the haunting of hill house. In marjories growingthings story, john slowly poisoned their mother to death and was in the process of killing marjorie. Astonishingly referential, a head full of ghosts is a commentary on the phenomenon of reality television where reality has been scripted and also an ode to the horror genre. You still cant ever forget that story, little merry, tremblay 125. A head full of ghosts is both a possessionexorcism story and a commentary on them. The retrospective occurs in series of conversations between merry and bestselling author rachel neville. Merry is eight years old and her teenage sister is acting out in frightening, disturbing ways. It isnt about mental illness, its about a little girl being possessed.

The story is told from the perspective of meredith barrett, know as merry. A california rancher gets in over his head when he starts his own investigation into the death of a local man. A head full of ghosts scared the living hell out of me, and im pretty hard to scare. What we get is a thoroughly engrossing and often disturbing commentary that pits supernatural evil against human evil. It just struck me as odd that she was in the story only for the. Now, im on a huge horror binge and want all the recommendations. On the assumption that a character was possessed, did auntie erin have anything to do with it.

The novel isnt about the possession of marjorie, but its about the possession of merry. And marjorie is showing signs of some seriously disturbed behavior. And what did eventually happen has pursed merry into adulthood. His last victim would be the young, innocent merry. Tremblay s story, winner of a bram stoker award in the us, is told in layer upon layer. That is what i had to do at the end of a head full of ghosts by paul tremblay this morning. However, the point of view also has another layer as merrys story is flashbacks. Fourteenyearold marjorie is either schizophrenic or possessed. It took me a while to read paul tremblays a head full of ghosts. Stephen king whether psychological or supernatural, this is a work of deviously subtle horror. This summary of a head full of ghosts includes a complete plot overview. She prefers to make her own stories to write alongside the stories printed in her books.

A head full of ghosts is a horror novel by american writer paul g. Everyone, head full of ghosts is a supernatural horror novel. To ask other readers questions about a head full of ghosts, please sign up. A head full of ghosts is a 2015 novel by paul tremblay. Her father, the only real religious person in the family, is convinced his daughter is suffering at the hand of the devil.

September 15 book club selection a head full of ghosts by. Unfortunately, thats because it triggers a sort of readus interruptus. Jul 23, 2015 a head full of ghosts was written by paul tremblay, an author that i have not read in the past. Ill start here, just because its the first thing you wonder after you close the book, based on the last couple of.

Merry is a girl with unusual interests she loves reality show programs about bigfoot. Paul tremblays newest thriller, a head full of ghosts, promises the reader a possession story for the 21st century. A blend of gothic horror and family drama, tremblays book won the 2016 bram stoker award for superior achievement in a novel. A head full of ghosts by paul tremblay discussion has officially started. With that in mind, ive posed some questions below with my take on the answers. But, more than that, it is an exploration of the human condition, mental health, truth and perspective, and even religion, gender and exploitation. Marjorie warns merry throughout the book that the person who is actually possessed is their father, john.

Im bored with that, so for a head full of ghosts, lets do something different. She is paranoid and she thinks that everybody is watching her. This savvy tale of horror tantalizingly keeps the reader waiting for an answer. Lets talk a head full of ghosts beware the shadows. A head full of ghosts is written from the perspective of the barretts younger daughter, merry, fifteen years after the possession airs. I also made a very strong cup of tea, which has not yet helped me to unlock my feelings about the end of the book. The adult merry thinks she knows the answer after tragedy has consumed her family in paul tremblays engrossingly scary novel a head full of ghosts. Kind of looking for the big ones besides stephen king, koontz, house of leaves, etc. As she recalls those long ago events that took place when she was just eight years old. Something that we touched on in our earliest classes was whether merry is a reliable narrator for the events of the novel.

A head full of ghosts is a story told fifteen years after the events occured, by the younger sister of the girl who was deemed possessed by a priest, the man who subsequently invited a film crew into their home and lives. Merry is confronted with her familys traumatic past when rachel, a journalist with a similarly haunted past, delves into the case, causing merry to relive and. Mar 28, 2019 a head full of ghosts follows the barrett family as they begin to realize that elder daughter, marjorie, is possessed by an inexplicable force. A head full of ghosts takes swipes at reality television, religion, audience gullibility and overall pandering to an audience looking to consume a dose of all of the above. The story is told from the point of view of marjories eightyearold sister, merry. A head full of ghosts by paul tremblay audiobook youtube. Were you at all considering what harm you might cause by linking schizophrenia and possession. Actually, im possessed, only im possessed by something so much older and cooler than satan. Is she having a psychotic breakdown, or has she been possessed by a demon. It seems to be the only thing to do when unsure of how to feel about the end of a book. Next to the exorcist, my favorite book on possession. I do hope she was really sick in her head for what she made merry do is beyond cruel. Marjorie and merry have always been close, sharing stories and secrets, tiny details that make a head full of ghosts feel impossibly real, but the thing inside marjorie a demon, or just a.

When the book begins, marjorie is a normal fourteenyearold teenager. One of the aspects in a head full of ghosts that i have found to be the most compelling is the choice of the narrator being merry barrett. Merry responds like any child would she loves her sister and it takes a while for the fear to set in but when it does she avoids marjorie while feeling guilty. Being asked to read another writers rough draft is the literary equivalent of being asked to help a friend move a couch to a new place. A head full of ghosts spoilers spoiler 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.

A head full of ghosts is about eight year old merry and her older sister marjorie, who is fourteen. Paul tremblays a head full of ghosts has been greeted rapturously by not only horror fans, but by more mainstream critics, which isnt something that normally happens with horror novels. An unsettling but familiar irreality, an interview with paul tremblay. The story is about her familyher parents, john and sarah, and her sister marjorie. She was flippant, flouncy, materialistic, and being interviewed for a book an autobiography of some sort, that documented her childhood years involving an incident with her sister. That merry was possessed by a demon that was into some more.

The story is told from the point of view of marjories eightyearold sister, meredith merry barrett. Jan 24, 2016 a head full of ghosts by paul tremblay. Sep 27, 2018 a head full of ghosts does a really amazing job at mixing all of this together. A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends domestic drama, psychological suspense, and a touch of modern horror, reminiscent of mark z. A head full of ghosts is really a story of a family in denial. Paul tremblays horror tale of an apparent teenage possession is a thoroughly. With a head full of ghosts it seems like the concept was interesting enough, but not so much the execution. A head full of ghosts, by paul tremblay paul tremblays new novel is, on the surface, a story about a book about a reality show about a. A head full of ghosts unfolds from the point of view of merry barrett, now an adult, recounting the incidents that took place in her family fifteen years earlier, when she was eightyearsold. Merry meredith barrett is a 23yearold woman telling an author about her childhood how when she was eight, her 14yearold sister marjorie suffered a psychotic break, behaving as if she were possessed by a host of spirits. Ghosts is an eerie, edgy tale of perception and possession.

The story is told in multiple threads, primarily by younger daughter, merry, both as an eightyearold observing her sisters downward trend and as a 23yearold looking back on her experience. On the other hand, we have always stayed with me for years, and i notice i think about it every now and then, even though it was such a long time ago that i actally read it. The two main characters are marjorie and merry barrett. Sep 24, 2015 a head full of ghosts is a story told fifteen years after the events occured, by the younger sister of the girl who was deemed possessed by a priest, the man who subsequently invited a film crew into their home and lives. While there are a few chilling moments the true purpose of this novel is to pose a mystery as to whether or not marjorie is truly possessed or merely a young sociopath.

Spoilers galore, by the way, so if you havent read the book, you might want to do that first. A head full of ghosts does a really amazing job at mixing all of this together. It opens with her many years later after the events surrounding her sister marjorie, giving an interview to a writer for a nonfiction book based around her experience as an eightyearold. Marjorie may have faked her possession because she knew that it was actually merry who was possessed and she wanted to help her. Review a head full of ghosts scared the living hell out of me, and im pretty hard to scare. The story is about a family who has a nine year old daughter merry, and a teenage daughter named marjorie who may or may not be possessed by a demon. A head full of ghosts was written by paul tremblay, an author that i have not read in the past.

While on a road trip recently, i picked up paul tremblays latest novel, a head full of ghosts, and proceeded to spend the next ten hours completely creeped out by it. A head full of ghosts is a story told fifteen years after the events occured, by the younger sister of the girl who was deemed possessed by a priest, the man who subsequently invited a film crew. A head full of ghosts takes place in suburban new england. When 14yearold marjorie barrett begins behaving as though shes demonically possessed, her massachusetts family starts a realitybased television show, the possession, to earn the money they desperately need to keep their household together. Dec 15, 2016 a head full of ghosts is a story told fifteen years after the events occured, by the younger sister of the girl who was deemed possessed by a priest, the man who subsequently invited a film crew. A family dinner gets terrifying in a head full of ghosts.

I read a head full of ghosts just about a month ago, and i realize that i hardly remember it at all. Previous post previous a head full of ghosts and cinematic haunting. Merry meredith barrett is a 23yearold woman telling an author. Aug, 2016 a head full of ghosts unfolds from the point of view of merry barrett, now an adult, recounting the incidents that took place in her family fifteen years earlier, when she was eightyearsold. Marjorie reveals, i think he might be the one whos possessed hasnt he been acting. Maybe using merry as the protagonist was not the way to go. Paul tremblay says that his latest novel is his graduate. A head full of ghosts is a pageturner that makes you think and keeps you guessing. Its the kind of book you want to read in one sitting, and then you really want to talk to someone about it.

I wasnt prepared to hate the protagonist in the first few lines. The bram stoker awardwinning author of a head full of ghosts adds an inventive twist to the home invasion horror story in a heartpalpitating novel of psychological suspense that recalls stephen kings misery, ruth wares in a dark, dark wood, and jack ketchums cult hit the girl next door. But as readers were not so sure, a testament to tremblays skillful legerdemain which keeps us. Danielewskis house of leaves mentioned, as well as shirley jacksons books.

May 31, 2016 a head full of ghosts is both a possessionexorcism story and a commentary on them. Its billed as a melding between psychological thriller and horror novel. A head full of ghosts by paul tremblay april 22, 2015 the beauty of a head full of ghosts is that there are a number of possible interpretations of the events and that the conclusions drawn by one reader may be very different to those drawn by another. Jun 05, 2018 with a head full of ghosts it seems like the concept was interesting enough, but not so much the execution. A head full of ghosts follows the barrett family as they begin to realize that elder daughter, marjorie, is possessed by an inexplicable force. Possessed teenagers, exorcisms, and reality tv what could go. The novel is told from the point of view of the younger sister, meredith or merry. Despite the age gap the sisters have a close, loving relationship, until marjorie starts to behave strangely. Sep 23, 2016 merry is eight years old and her teenage sister is acting out in frightening, disturbing ways. Halfway through a head full of ghosts and im loving it so far.

Stephen king paul tremblays terrific a head full of ghosts generates a haze of an altogether more serious kind. Now she is relating her story to an author, and the secret that shes held inside for so many years the awful truth about everything is ready to burst out of her. Dad is praying a lot and spending a lot of time with church elders. Possessed teenagers, exorcisms, and reality tv what could. Paul tremblay is the author of a head full of ghosts william.