A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

A Head Full of Ghosts

A Novel

Paul Tremblay

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · May 10, 2016

WINNER OF THE 2015 BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends psychological suspense and supernatural horror, reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist.

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A sharp, unsettling ride for when you want horror that keeps its nerve.
Genres
Psychological Horror, Supernatural Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Published
HarperCollins, May 10, 2016

About this book

WINNER OF THE 2015 BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends psychological suspense and supernatural horror, reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. 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.

Continue reading

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, 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.

Unsettling Dread

A sharp, unsettling ride for when you want horror that keeps its nerve.

Come here for

  • psychological unease
  • edgy, immersive dread

Expect

  • suspense that coils tight
  • supernatural notes with a psychological edge

Where it sits

Psychological Horror79%
Psychological Thrillers34%
Supernatural Thrillers33%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • The Classics
  • Paranormal Fantasy
  • Ghost Stories
  • Psychological Horror
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Literary Fiction
  • The Occult & Supernatural
  • Psychological Fiction
  • Fantasy Romance
Authors
Paul Tremblay
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
May 10, 2016
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
The Classics