Nothing I love more than feeling like a book was written just for me.

Paul Tremblay continues to impress me. Here I thought the Cabin at the End of the World was stellar but this??? This!!!!!!!

Full but vague disclosure: religious fanaticism and psychosis are both things I grew up around. The family dynamic described in this book is painfully familiar (and realistic), especially as it's written from the perspective of a confused preteen. Holy guacafreakingmole.

Paul Tremblay also loves allusions. He makes them explicit - why not! The wallpaper in one room is yellow and is clearly referred to as such. Scenes early in the book feel ripped off from the exorcist, and he agrees. He introduces a minor character named Stephen Graham Jones by name, because why the heck not!!!

And of course, we have Merry the cat, Meredith, our childish narrator. If you've read your Shirley Jackson, you know how this story ends.

This book is going to live rent free in my head for a very long time. I want to annotate it for the references and foreshadowing alone because dang. Tremblay, I am buying what you're selling. Bring it on.

This is a five star book for me but probably won't be for everyone. However if you, like me, love using horror to explore painful family dynamics and mental illness, love blending classic and modern allusions, and can't get enough of playful unreliable narrators and stories told in a way that feels both serious and satirical.... Run, don't walk.

Head full of ghosts??? The ghosts live in my head rent free bro. (And yeah, I should probably talk about it in therapy)

More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/7rhiwvWp9YY