Picking this one up on a whim, I was pleasantly surprised at how much it grew on me. Initially I wasn’t sure if I was going to get into it as I was wondering when the conflict was going to present itself. While it took a while to build up, the wait was well worth it.

This story focuses on a group of teenage girls, in the 80s, just trying to make it through high school and get into a good college. The main two it focuses on are Abby and Gretchen. There’s an almost gay relationship here, but given the connotations that being gay was “of the devil” in that timeframe, the girls don’t really pursue that notion. Abby is the protagonist, but Gretchen serves as the “best friend who needs an exorcism.” The title gives away some of the story but it leans into this idea with nuance. Is Gretchen actually possessed? Many events throughout the story seem to point towards that, but maybe Abby is just obsessed with her. The story toys with this idea constantly, presenting Abby as a lunatic at points. She gets gaslit by teachers, parents and other kids that don’t believe her. It’s heartbreaking to see how much she cares get used against her. There’s even a religious group that comes to her school for a “DARE” style presentation about the power of Christ and further feeds the idea that her friend is possessed.

Everything that happens in this story is indicative of the times. From the school assemblies, bullying, gaslighting and religions themes, the setting is so well established that I was uncomfortable. The 80s were a time of extreme viewpoints without any room for contemplation. People were so firm in what they believed in and had no regard for other opinions that it made for a harsh society. The girls are almost isolated in their own world as they know to act right or hide their mischievousness well. Parents will simply send their bad kids away to “treatment” centers with no accountability for their child’s actions. It was a wild era and seeing it presented this way was unnerving.

I will also say that this book gave me bad dreams. I read a decent amount of horror and for some reason, this one is the only one to give me nightmares. It goes to show how well the author crafted the story that I was able to dream about it pretty accurately. Some of the things that happen in this book are hard to read. Not just the “possession” stuff and “of the time” occurrences, but the depictions of self-harm and the aggressive bullying that happens throughout. There are some soft moments sprinkled throughout but it’s mostly just a bad thing followed by a terrible thing, then an awful thing that’s worse than everything else so far. It truly outdoes itself at times and the reprieves are not long enough to provide comfort. What kept me going was partially a morbid curiosity but also a hope that everything would turn out alright. Did it? Maybe you should read it and find out.

This book is a look into a time period that I don’t know much about. It really did transport me there though through its world and relationship building between the girls. Though Glee and Margaret don’t get as much development as the main two, their inclusion really sells the girls as a clique. Their group dynamic is one that I felt apart of from the first few pages of its introduction. The author does so well to create something that is genuinely unnerving, but both realistic and unrealistic simultaneously. I really enjoy this writing style and not letting the reader get comfortable makes it more dynamic to read. I look forward to reading more from Hendrix soon!