“My Best Friend’s Exorcism” by Grady Hendrix
I absolutely loved My Best Friend's Exorcism. But I went into it thinking I wouldn't. As much as the author clearly loves the '80s horror aesthetic, the B-movie vibe of this book's packaging really undersells it.
Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act….different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
I didn't choose to buy this book. I won it in a competition, in fact, with a selection of other books from the same publisher. This was about five years ago, and while I finished the others some time ago, it's taken me this long to finally get around to this one. Something just kept me away from wanting to give it a go.
And I can tell you right now, it was the cover. Now, I love the aesthetic it has. Anyone who grew up in the '80s immediately feels the wonderful VHS, B-movie, Video Nasty vibe it gives off. But that's not really what I enjoy in my books. I'm not a huge fan of trashy. And so, this book kept getting passed over until I finally decided to get it over with.
And I discovered My Best Friend's Exorcism is not the book this cover belongs to.
Let me put it this way; imagine if someone took The Exorcist and gave it the box for A Nightmare on Elm Street. Both great films. Both horror films. Both very different films.
Because, yes, on the surface, this book is about a teenage girl dealing with the fact her friend has been possessed by the Devil. And that could have been the plot of a trash '80s horror film. But in truth, My Best Friend's Exorcism is actually about teenage friendships. The four main characters are girls on the verge of adulthood, with all the questions and problems this entails. They've grown up in the conservative, religious, Reaganite community, and now much embrace it to push against it. And not only does Hendrix create this world so well, he populates it with characters that are recognisable without feeling flat or cliche.
And then we have the possession and exorcism. Once again, it's not handled in a schlocky way. It's actually taken in a direction you don't expect. As do the things Gretchen does while possessed.
This book is a great read, and I really recommend it. But while it's an important lesson in never judging a book by its cover, it's also a lesson in making sure your cover fits the story.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a surprisingly deep exploration into the world of teenage friendship. Grady Hendrix is showing himself to be an incredibly talented writer here. But despite his clear love for the genre and the '80s VHS vibes, he's underselling himself using them for this book.
