A tense, sinister, ambiguous, and deeply satisfying horror novel about a teenage girl who is perhaps possessed by a demon, perhaps suffering from mental illness and an abusive family dynamic, or perhaps both!, whose father decides that the best way to deal with her issues is to have the family star in a Discovery Channel reality show. (Because as we all know, reality television is the best way to solve your problems and return your life to normalcy.) The whole fiasco is recounted by her younger sister, who bears witness to their family's unraveling in the way of children who become observant as a survival strategy.

There are shades of The Shining here, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and of course The Exorcist, so if you like those things, you will also like this.

As for me, I adore what Tremblay does here. His writing is smart, he's aware of the broader context of possession narratives in which he operates, and he's downright scary on both the uncanny supernatural level and on the people-doing-inhumane-things level. He also does other things I really like: His characters pass the Bechdel test! He doesn't go out of his way to make anyone especially likeable! And he doesn't shoehorn in a romantic subplot!

I have two more of his books on hold from the library. Can't wait to devour them and then sadly wait for his next release.