I have mixed feelings about this book, mostly because I hate the ideas usually put forth in exorcism stories. However, Hendrix worked to subvert the expectations of what exorcism entails, and was critical about the satanic panic that was popular during the era in which this book was set. His exploration of how young women are not believed when making accusations of harm were decent, yet I feel that he muddies his own message since the allegations Abby made on Gretchen's behalf were mostly, yet inadvertently, false. Hendrix's quick mentions of time-period "appropriate" racism were also jarring, given how they seemed almost thrown into the work to represent how vile people could be at this time, although he did not provide this subject with the seriousness it deserved before moving on. I did think Hendrix excelled at creating "gross-out" scenes that almost felt antagonistic, and that the resolution of the book was rewarding. After watching the movie, Hendrix's original work almost seems genius in comparison. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy stories that use typical horror conventions to make social critiques, even though I do feel its messages could have been sharpened.