George’s
marriage is ending because he cannot bring himself to touch his newborn son-
even though he loves the child. His therapist suggests that he writes in a
journal to try and uncover the reason; the ensuing outpouring is a tale of horror
from when he was eleven years old. Dealing with the recent and unexpected death
of his father and other changes in his household, he becomes haunted by his
Friend, an entity that looks just like him- an entity that causes violence to
happen to people. The question is: Is the Friend real, and a demon, or is
George mentally ill and performing the violence himself from some subconscious
need? The authorities believe the latter, but friends of George’s father
believe the former, because of beliefs the father held. A tug of war ensues for
the right to help George; it becomes psychiatrist versus religion. Who is
right?
The story is
creepy and you just never know if George is mentally ill or if he is truly
possessed. Just as you’re convinced he’s mentally ill, an event happens that is
definitely supernatural- an event seen by two other people. This introduces a
third option- that there is a poltergeist, activated by George’s subconscious
turmoil.
This book is a
horror story that reminds me a lot of some of what was written in the 70s- The
Exorcist, The Omen. It has the same ability to make the skin crawl because of
the uncertainty as to what is real- and how far the violence and evil may go. I’m
surprised that no one has made a movie of this yet.
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