"In a way, my personal history not being my own, being literally and figuratively haunted by outside forces, is almost as horrible as what actually happened. Almost."

In stark contrast to the Stephen King quote, on the cover, I found that the format of this book took away much of the would-be scary vibes. Framed within an interview between Meredith Barrett and an author who is writing about the bizarre circumstances that cemented the Barrett family, and Meredith’s sister Marjorie specifically, as an urban legend. The interview is broken up with (1) an exuberantly written horror blog, The Last Final Girl, as it focuses on the Barretts and the TV show they were featured in as well as relevant pop culture references, and (2) the first-person story of what Meredith remembers from that time, a kid just trying to be herself while Marjorie’s mental health suffers (or she is possessed by a demon, as her father insists).

This book certainly had its moments but much more was a bit cringeworthy. Using Meredith’s 8-year-old POV seemed like the wrong way to go and I found myself waiting to get more of the blog (which even mentioned House of Leaves, one of my favorite books), or more ephemeral pieces instead, like a documentary. It seemed like that was the idea by incorporating the reportage style of the interview chapters, but they got so lost in young Meredith’s monologues. I listened to the audio for most of this, so maybe that colored my experience. Or maybe it was just a little too predictable.