A Head Full of Ghosts
Written by Paul Tremblay
Narrated by Joy Osmanski
4/5
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About this audiobook
WINNER OF THE 2015 BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL
A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends psychological suspense and supernatural horror, reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist.
The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.
To her parents’ despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. With John, Marjorie’s father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.
Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry. As she recalls those long ago events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television begin to surface—and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed, raising vexing questions about memory and reality, science and religion, and the very nature of evil.
Paul Tremblay
Paul Tremblay has won the Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, and Massachusetts Book awards and is the nationally bestselling author of The Beast You Are, The Pallbearers Club, Survivor Song, Growing Things and Other Stories, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, A Head Full of Ghosts, and the crime novels The Little Sleep and No Sleep Till Wonderland. His novel The Cabin at the End of the World was adapted into the Universal Pictures film Knock at the Cabin. He lives outside Boston with his family.
More audiobooks from Paul Tremblay
The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Growing Things and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Survivor Song: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Beast You Are: Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Reviews for A Head Full of Ghosts
1,780 ratings127 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Only part I didn't like was Karen's. That was awful. Very annoying to listen to!
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Too much time spent talking about the action and when there was action it wasn’t creepy it was just gross. I was disappointed to say the least given the reviews.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Great story, but the woman reading the book made it all but unlistenable. One of the worst audiobook readings I’ve ever heard.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This might be the most frustrating book I've ever read/listened to. The blog sections are absolute garbage and so annoying I had to fast forward. Still don't know what the author was getting at overall, I enjoyed the reality tv satire, the mental illness angle is good, but there are so many unanswered questions in this, and I was shocked when the book was just over suddenly after the last twist. Parts of this are very entertaining, but I can't say I'd read another one by this author after this. I am very confused about all the praise for this. I actually think this book is mis labeled, it's not horror, it's at the most a psychological thriller. It seemed like the author REALLY wanted to seem clever and witty with a lot of the writing in this, and it's just way too obvious.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I don't know what I was expecting, but I was not expecting what happened. Fantastic story and highly recommended!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Probably a better read than a listen.... pretty much a YMCA yoga class, alot of reaching and stretching with some borrowed equipment..... minimal results after a long time sitting in one spot hoping it pays off.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5excellent story that keeps you guessing until the very end. horror buffs will likely figure out what's going on but the story unfolds with enough off kilter events that you may still be surprised. in any case, it is well written and thoroughly enjoyable
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The most God awful book EVER! Would rather have the stomach flu or food poisoning than ever listen to this shit show again:( Hated this so badly!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Honestly I have no idea why this book is on a bunch of “scariest horror books” list, it was good, I enjoyed it, but doesn’t push any limits and is tamer than other thriller books I’ve read.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After a slow Part 1 in which I almost stopped listening, the book picks up steam and gets much better. The POV of a 8-year-old girl is great, although she becomes strangely mature in spots. Every family member is messed up. Overall, a good read!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I expected something very different but it was still enjoyable.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of my all-time favorite stories, would love to see it adapted for the screen!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This story kept me interested the entire time (hard to do!). Did I hate her blog voice? Yes. But that has nothing to do with the writing of the story itself. Now that I think about it, the blog personality fits…. No spoilers but if you want an ending tied with a bow, this isn’t it. Or maybe it is. It depends on your interpretation. Honestly, I just finished it and will be thinking about it for a long while!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Such an intriguing story, the narrative style reminds me a lot of Carrie
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was worth reading, especially if you are a genre fiend. Tremblay really nailed the horror of ambiguity - he manages to keep you guessing the whole time, dropping new pieces of information like bread crumbs to keep his readers hooked.
Some parts of the book were weaker than others. The blog sections in particular were a little jarring, for a few reasons, but it didnt hinder my enjoyment of the book too much. The author definitely took some risks with the meta-analysis of his own work within the work. I was and still am iffy on whether that actually served the book well or held it back.
The book explored some truly haunting family dynamics and pondered deeper questions about what level of certainty we can have in our experiences. It also raised some interesting questions about religion and mental illness and how we perceive them.
All in all, not a masterpiece, but definitely good. 4/5 - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I took a break from romance novels and a friend recommended this book to me. This book was a wild ride for sure!!! Some parts had me feeling sick with horror. I couldn’t stop listening. Then the ending was a total 180!! The book felt so real which also made it terrifying that the author was able to make each character so authentic.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is an excellent example of the author keeping you guessing. I enjoyed the entire journey and changed my mind multiple times before the book was over.
Highly recommend. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm not sure what to make of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it but I feel like I may have missed the symbolism of it. I suppose the take away is manipulation. Everyone was manipulated into doing something they didn't want to do. It seems that all the characters were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Marjorie, maybe a psychotic breakdown. It reminded me of the book The Virgin Suicides. How one person started the downfall of a family. This is the second book I've read/listened to by Tremblay. His books don't have happy endings, barely bittersweet.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really enjoyed this book!! So much better than the exorcist in my opinion. Will definitely be reading more by Paul Tremblay.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So good. This one grabbed me and kept me inthralled.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very clever--intriguing combination of narrative and blog. Interesting social analysis through horror and gothic (and yay, the enclosure as a character!) of a family, but are the questions really answered? Horror fans will love the multitudes of references. I majored in English Lit with an emphasis on Gothic Fiction and loved those touches. It wasn't what I expected but ended up being so much more, and that ending...
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow. Stephen King fans will love this book. You have to read until the end!
Seriously, the twists have twists. And after you're done, you can't stop thinking about it.
Great read again value! You have another answer and another question. Loved it! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It’s a new definition for horror. Truth and lies in chaos, so the reader won’t know up from down. Not easy but yes it’s worth it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You’re the one who ends up with a head full of ghosts after reading this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I didn’t like one of the cut away characters at first but as the story developed I did. The book was very up and down but i could not stop listening
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wow! This is not your average possession book. It has some intentional cliche, possession content, but, then things change and keep you guessing. It is creepy as hell. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Damn. That was totally worth my time. You should read this. It's not as "scary" as everyone said, but there were definitely some pretty freaky visuals throughout that made me think what an awesome movie this would make if they could translate it to the screen well.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Awesome book! Couldn't put it down! Finished in the first 24 hours of starting it. If you like horror, mystery and thrillers, then you will love this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Un libro realmente entretenido! Lo recomiendo bastante si quieres leer algo con un toque posiblemente paranormal, me quedé con ganas de leer más del autor
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5love the story within a story within a story. Super fun book, love the child POV. spooky, engaging. very enjoyable.