A Head Full of Ghosts

By: Paul Tremblay

Narrated by: Joy Osmanski

A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends domestic drama, psychological suspense, and a touch of modern horror, reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves, John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let the Right One In, and Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House.

The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when 14-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 best-selling 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.

©2015 Paul Tremblay (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Good Read

This book was suggested to me by a friend and I really enjoyed it up until the last few chapters, the ending left much to be desired for me but all in all a good read.

Not a fan

Any additional comments?

The book wasn't horrible but I didn't like it either. The feeling I got from the story and the plot itself just wasn't for me. Maybe its because I expected one thing and got another. Overall this story just left me feeling depressed.

Some reviews say scariest book ever. Really???

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I understand the point-of-view was from and eight year old, but the characters all seemed shallow to me. I was not emotionally attached to anyone.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I believe the story would have been better if there would have been more events with the 14 year old sister. The story is set up to figure out if the girl was possessed or mentally ill. I am not one to enjoy over description, but perhaps if more was given of actions versus conversation, it could have been better.

What three words best describe Joy Osmanski’s voice?

Not the best

This is a tough range. I don't think I could have done any better though. She had to voice an eight year old girl through to mulitple grown men. I thought she did well for the female parts of young women, but anyone over that, especially the men, started to get a little--not to my liking. I've heard worse, but I've also heard better.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe. It has the possibility of being a good movie

Any additional comments?

This is a tough book, mixing current events with fiction. I don't know if I like it. It seems with enough actual facts from this time, I was looking for inconsistencies and found them. I also would have loved a deeper story line. But who knows? I'm a middle aged woman. Maybe this is meant to be enjoyed by a younger age group.

Something sad and not quite scary

I expected something else from this book, which was only mildly creepy at times. It was a well constructed horror show, stringing you along until the end. As the book ended and I sat in the silence, I thought “I wish I could unhear that.”
Take that as you will.

I wanted to love it...

So much about this book feels like it needed more drafts.

I had heard a lot about this book, how great it was. I won't go into spoilers...
the story was ok. it was actually good at some points when not bogged down by parts of the framing narritive and the writer's weird moral dilemmas.
Particular characters really rip you out of the story, they are so unbearable. It gave me bad whiplash. This always happened when things were getting interesting, so I guess that means pacing issues.also secondary characters are more caricatures, not full thought out characters.

There is a character named Karen (art imitates life, I know) who is a stand in for the reader; she is there to tell you how to feel about the material. My god... Just no...All the no. If she wasnt in the book it would be so much better. Paul, why?

Now, without spoilers, I understand there are religious elements to the story...
the writer's own religious and political views come through in a very tactless way. which is disappointing, he had a great platform to make a statement; especially about religion... but he really fumbles.

the narrator was good for everyone EXCEPT the male voices; those were hilarious.

Scary. and Believable?

good story, believable characters, great narration. Sometimes seemed a bit wordy and drawn out but when it was good it was very very good. this was my first Tremblay read; will be reading more.

Absolutely thrilling!

Picked up this audiobook on a whim and could not be more pleased. The performance is excellent and the story is both a tail of demonic possession and an equally terrifying presentation of Schizophrenia.

Highly recommend!

Brilliant Thriller. Terrifyingly real.

So, this was the best freaking novel I've read (listened to) in a long time.
In my humble opinion, horror novels, ghosts stories etc should come out on audio first. Why?
Campfires.
Campfires, and sleep overs, and a bunch of friends huddled around with the lights down low scaring each other stupid with tales of woe and mystery that make the familiar surroundings foreign, right?
Dark and stormy nights?
What was that noise?
Can someone walk me to the bathroom so I can pee?
This story was so good that I listened to it in a day and a half and what's brilliant about it - is the blurred reality you're dealing with.
What's at the center of all this? A demon? Psychotic breakdowns? A Family dragged down with a possessed child or vicarious psychopathy?
What really happened?
Well, it's up to you, really. That, and the poetic prose makes this story a must read for any fan of the horror genre.
I want to be Paul Tremblay when I grow up.

Pleasantly surprised

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the horror and story elements in this, I honestly bought it after sifting through books for hours and was doubtful that it would be entertaining to me and expected more cliche. After having a kick of more than 25 Stephen King books I'd have to say this was very satisfying and exceeded my expectations for the kind of book this is.

Excellent modern era ghost story!

Very impressive!
Really enjoyed the original approach, the performance was EXCELLENT, and the story went places I wasn’t expecting from top to bottom. Really, really enjoyed this. I’d say more but there’s no need - if you’re looking for a ghost story that works in these mediocre times, this is good sh*t!