Review: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist
By William Peter Blatty

Published: 1971

Synopsis (from book): The terror began unobtrusively. Noises in Regan's room, an odd smell, misplaced furniture, and icy chill. Small annoyances for which Chris MacNeil, Regan's actress mother, easily found explanations. The changes in eleven-year-old Regan were so gradual, too, that Chris did not recognise for some time how much her daughter's behaviour had altered. Even when she did, the medical tests which followed shed no light on Regan's symptoms, which grew more severe and frightening. It was almost as if a different personality had invaded the child. Desperate, Chris turned from the doctors to Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest who was trained as a psychiatrist and had a deep knowledge of such phenomena as satanism and possession. Was it possible that a demonic force was at large? IF psychiatry could not help, might exorcism be the answer?


I don't know about all of you, but I seem to have a real problem picking books to take with me on holiday. I brought three books up with me, and as I sat in the sun on my first day I started not one, but two and put them down after about 20 pages.This is where an e-reader comes in handy, imagine having hundreds of books at my fingertips! Instead I trekked into town and down to a second hand bookstore where I found a delightfully old copy of The Exorcist for $6, which perfectly fit with  Halloween and my desire to read during the day rather than night.

The Exorcist was one of the first horror movies to really scare me, I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I'm thinking it had something to do with a girl of around my age (I think I was 13 when I watched it) and creepy things happening in the bedroom (I have a bedroom! Oh shit!). For a few weeks my active imagination would have me imagine Regan crab-walking into my bedroom and vomiting pea soup all over me! With those sorts of memories in mind I began the book wondering if it'd exceed the film's scare factor.

It starts off really, really well. I knew what was coming, and it almost felt like the author knew I knew, and was playing on it. I'm not quite sure what the marketing for the book was (did they do much marketing in the 1970s?) but I guess most people knew they were reading a book about possession, so Blatty slowly introduces a few small changes, taps on the wall and Regan's conversations with Captain howdy through a Ouija board. Perhaps this is strange, but chapter conclusions saying things like "there were no disturbances.That night" really creeped me out! It must have been tied with knowing what was to come. The build is slow, but it doesn't take long for the mother, Chris, to realise things aren't quite right with her daughter, and once the trips to the hospital start things take a turn for the worse. Compounding the frustration that all the tests come back negative, Chris has a fear of the doctors because her young son died as a result of a reaction to a new medicine prescribed a doctor some time in the past. So at the same time that she's terrified that something is wrong with her daughter, she's even more terrified to let her out of her sight or let the doctor's have free reign to monitor her in a secure location.

Actually, I might take a moment to discuss the character of Chris. I think she was really well created, her relationship with her daughter at the start of the book is quite charming. Chris makes a real effort to spend time with her daughter around her busy shooting schedule, and Regan wakes up early every morning to pick her mum a flower. Regan's father is out of the picture after a recent (so it seems) divorce, because he couldn't handle being the husband of a famous actress and he'd met someone new. His absence seems to have strengthened the relationship of Chris and Regan, although it becomes the (presumed) key cause of Regan's "illness" later on (more on that in a minute). Once Regan gets sick though, Chris becomes unbearable. Her aversion to doctors puts her daughter at risk, as she refuses to consider the option of extensive care in a facility, and decides to administer all the drugs and feeding tubes herself. Because she's now both doctor and mother she becomes conflicted. On the one hand she refuses to let her daughter go to a treatment facility because she doesn't want her out of her sight, but then she demands an exorcism from Father Karras, even as he describes the risks and potential death that could eventuate from performing one. She both wants to cure her daughter, and keep her away from danger, but her conflicting roles mean she's basically put her daughter in far more danger than any doctor could. it's a really interesting situation to watch play out, although as an outsider sometimes I wanted to slap her across the face and tell her to get a grip! That said, if I was a mother watching my daughter change both physically, psychologically and emotionally within the space of a few short weeks I'd probably be at my wit's end too!

It's been awhile since I've seen the film, so perhaps some of my comments won't be quite accurate, but I remember the exorcism being a primary part of the film. However, the book is more about the complicated journey that finally results in an exorcism. In fact, the exorcism only takes place in the last 30 or so pages, and the introduction of Father KarrasKarras arrives into the scene and is asked as a priest who has knowledge of "satanism" to perform an exorcism, he instead approaches it as a psychiatrist. The presence of a book with an extensive chapter on possession and possible symptoms of demonic possession within the NacNeil house serves as his guide, and at times I even thought there was a potential turn around about to happen when we discover that perhaps she is faking it. Well not faking it, but manifesting the possessed symptoms due to hysteria or a number of other psychological disorders the doctors suggest throughout the book. Although I found this aspect of the book incredibly interesting, and I presume for a horror book written in the early 1970s quite revolutionary in approach, it did remove some of the horror for me. Instead of feeling scared, which I had for the first third of the book, I was simply interested and intrigued where the story was going. Not that that is a bad thing, it certainly isn't, but I was a little disappointed that it didn't keep me up all night frantically fearing the shadows.

Before I wrap up I want to just touch briefly on the actual possession of Regan and how the writing of her symptoms compared to the film. I usually find books more terrifying than films purely because you're able to do a lot of the imagining yourself, and therefore fill in the blanks with your own personal brand of fearful monster. I found this the case in The Exorcist as well. Especially at the start when it was simple things like rappings on the walls, Regan talking to Captain Howdy etc I was able to imagine how little things like that would spook me. Later on when things got a little more intense I preferred the book over the film because there was a little more detail and finesse to the symptoms. For instance, the crab walk down the stairs. In the film, and again forgive my foggy memory, I remember it being a split second, though terrifying, shot of Regan maneuvering her way down the stairs in a way no human could. In the book however, Chris is talking with Sharon (her live-in assistant) when Regan appears in the crab like position behind Sharon, her tongue flicking and brushing against Sharon's leg. She then continues to follows Sharon around, as though tied to her, her tongue always flickering. I found the cinematic version creepy, but after reading that part of the book I had to put it down and watch a scene of Mamma Mia, which as everyone knows is horror's antidote and luckily was playing on TV at that very moment! Basically I found the scares in the book much more sophisticated and detailed and generally, more terrifying.

So to conclude, the book is very well written, and very easy to immerse yourself into. I also think that, for those of you not particularly fond of being scared, that the psychology and conflict set up between science and religion might be interesting enough to get you past the horror scenes! Also, though I've discussed neither in particular detail, and one not at all, keep an eye of for Karras and Kinderman (the policeman), they were fantastic little characters who completely made the book for me. Kinderman especially!

My Rating: 5/5

Monday Links

 *Happy Halloween!! Enjoy this collection of babies and little kids in awesome halloween costumes!

*Not a fan of babies in costumes? How about pets in literary themed costumes. Warning, these border on the slightly deranged!

*Read this interesting article in the New York Times about the very interesting Haruki Murakami, you won't regret it.

*This story had me in tears. A couple married 72 years died within hours of each other, holding hands. Beautiful.

*Stephen Fry is in my town! Tom and I are heading in to see him and Alan Davies in one of their QI Live shows tonight! But I'm hoping to stumble across him in person so if you guys see any hints on his twitter let me know!

*The Sydney Morning Herald did a write up for the release of Terry Pratchett's new novel Snuff, looking back at the life he's had, his goddess Narrativia, and his challenges with Alzheimers. A great read.

Follow Friday: Party Planning

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkie and Alison can read (sorry about the outdated button but my blogger is being temperamental and it just wasn't going to happen).

Each week a myriad of bloggers answer a question that helps their readers know a little bit more about themselves. This week the question is:

If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

Hmmmm, this is a difficult one, just one book character at dinner? Couldn't I please, please, please have a Madhatter-esque tea party? What's that you say, this isn't actually going to happen so why the hell not manipulate the question to meet my desire to combine literary figures, teacups and tasty cakes? OK, fine. I will.

If you could have dinner a tea party with your favorite book character(s), who would you eat with and what would you serve?

Well, being a tea party I'd obviously serve the requisite tea, of all flavours (my favourite being strawberries and cream!), along with a dentist's nightmare in the shape of hundreds of cupcakes, macaroons, finger sandwiches, fairy bread and mango sorbet. We'd all be sat around a ridiculously long table that's adorned with mismatching teapots and teacups, that's actually very low to the ground so instead of chairs we sit on soft and fluffy cushions (I always have trouble finding enough chairs). Oh, and we're outside, and it's night, in a grassy clearing in a forest with big bushy trees and bushes surrounding us, adorned with fairly lights and lanterns.

Well that's the setting and the food in order, what about the guests?
It wouldn't be a tea party without the Madhatter making an appearance, so obviously he'll be here (and if the hare and the doormouse feel like stopping by they're most welcome) but along with him I'd absolutely, positively love for the following characters to make an appearance at my humble little party.

*Dumbledore - because he'd be amazing to talk to, and fun to be around.
*Luna Lovegood - because this party was designed with her in mind (can you tell?)!
*Merry and Pippin - because you know fun isn't far away with these two!
*Willy Wonka - because I think he'd get along splendidly with the Madhatter and would be great at starting party games.
*Crowley and Aziraphale - Because watching them constantly argue and pretend they're nothing alike would keep me entertained for hours.
*Jon Snow - To show him life doesn't have to be so damn serious all the time.
*Mr Wednesday - Because he's fascinating.
*Mike McGill - To show him a less seedy, but equally enjoyable side of society.

I've had to construct this list without the help of my bookshelves (I'm on holiday back up at my family's place) and I'm too lazy to google and find more book characters to add, but these all sprang to mind immediately and I think they'd make a wonderfully diverse, interesting, potentially dangerous guest list!

Who did you invite?

An Australian's note on the Occupy protests

Occupy Oakland*

I haven't been following the protests on the news, or through regular internet channels, all of my knowledge and information has come straight out of tumblr and twitter. As a result I probably don't know much about the who, what, when, where, why and how but what I do get is the raw passion, emotion and determination that is surrounding most of these protests in the US. Speaking as an Australian who has never been to the States, and knows only a handful of you guys in the flesh, one of the problems in recent years is that all that seemed to come out of the US, (on the tv, in the news etc) was endless greed, stupidity, consumerism, hate and every kind of ism you could imagine. I'm not saying the whole country is that way, of course it isn't, but thanks to your last president, the majority of news coverage showed a massive world power who seemed like a two year old on a sugar rush. I've read a few news articles where people have called the protesters "hippies" (seriously, still?) or "bored trust-fund kids," but twitter and tumblr show a different story. Instead I see men and women, old and young, straight and gay, liberal and conservative, people of all races and and education levels and backgrounds standing up and demanding the right for a voice in a country which has been drowned out for far too long by a minority of people who believe they're the only ones who deserve the right to speak, or to act. Historically, America was always the country that refused to take it lying down. The most inspiring Americans are those who stood up for what they believed in, the Rosa Parks and Martin Luther Kings, it's in your blood to fight for your rights, and to fight for equality. It's a beautiful thing to see that coming back after so many years of almost zombie-like apathy, to see you all unified, emotional and believing in something. I've spent hours on Tumblr utterly inspired by the pictures and quotes coming out of the Occupy movements. Keep it up America, you're amazing my pants off right now.

*Navyman, copy of the US constitution in hand, stands and faces riot police after they fire tear gas.

Review: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Good Omens
By Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Published in: 1990

Synopsis (via Goodreads): there was a bit of a mix-up when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. 


OK, so that synopsis is pretty broad. I think a better summation comes from one of the authors himself, Mr Neil Gaiman, who said that Good Omens is "a funny book about the end of the world and how we're all going to die".  Of course, there's a little more to it than that but essentially you get the idea. Adam Young, leader of the Them and resident of Lower Tadfield is the antichrist. However, because of a mix-up in the hospital (three babies are always more complicated than two) Adam, the real antichrist, went home with ordinary parents, while an ordinary child went home to be watched and, shall we say, encouraged, by various members of Hell's eternal fan club. Fast forward 11 years and the apocalypse is due to occur within days, but as the demon Crowley realises, the antichrist isn't the actual antichrist, and along with his angel pal Aziraphale, realise that perhaps the apocalypse isn't all it's cracked up to be and maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to stop it from happening.

Anyway! I've heard people rave about this book for a very, very long time but it's just remained one of those books that was put back on the shelf when my arms were too full of books and I had to cut back. However, I was in the city and forgot to bring a book in with me and I wanted something to read over lunch so I ducked in to the bookstore and picked up a copy thinking it's about time I actually sat down and got an idea what all the fuss was about. Well, I've got an idea now! This book is fantastic, I really, really enjoyed reading it and I couldn't help thinking all the way through, "yep, can totally see how Gaiman ended up writing American Gods!"

For those of you who have read American Gods but not Good Omens, they're very similar. Well, no they're not, but kind of (ha!). In the way that American Gods took well-known (and not so well-known) characters from mythology, Good Omen takes characters from Christianity, and much of the premise, and delivers them in a fresh, funny and engaging way. Famine (one of the Horsemen of the apocalypse) is making a living selling "diet" books to people who desperately want to be thin and beautiful, War is a beautiful war correspondent who seems to arrive before the war even begins, and Pestilence has retired and been replaced by Pollution. They also ride motorbikes now and wear leather jackets with "Hell's Angels" embroidered on the back.

The book doesn't make fun of or try to diminish Christianity, in fact, if anything it's parodying the films like The Omen which were such hits a couple of decades ago. That being said, it did make some rather poignant comments about religion and the absurdity of trying to box people as either good or bad, and of promoting this fantastic afterlife rather than encouraging people to give a damn about what they're doing to the planet. One of my favourite scenes takes place during the preliminary apocalypse craziness when a space ship crashes on the road in front of one the minor characters, Witchfinder Newton Pulsifer, and out jumps two aliens who berate Newt in the same fashion a cop would berate a speeding driver

>Morning, sir or madam or neuter" the thing said.
This your planet, is it?
Well Yes, I suppose so," he said.
The toad stared thoughtfully at the skyline.
"Had it long have we sir?" it said.
"Er. Not personally. I mean as a species, about half a million years. I think."
The Alien exchanged glances with its colleague.
"Been letting the old acid rain build up, haven't we, sir?" it said. "Been letting outselves go a bit with the old hydrocarbons, perhaps?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Could you tell me your planet's albedo, sir?" said the toad, still staring levelly at the horizon as though it was doing something interesting.
"Er. No."
"Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you, sir, that your polar icecraps are below regulation size for a planet of this category, sir"
...

And it continues on for a while after that. I thought the integration of social commentary into the story was very neatly done and with a great deal of humour so it was never over the top or didactic, but it means after you come to the last page and close the back cover you're left with a little more than just a funny and interesting story. In fact, considering the book is over 20 years old, the comments about the environment are oh-so spot on for the way things are going right now. The only time it felt a little thick was in the climax, where it just got a little speechy and preachy and I probably would have been good with a couple of pages less.

However, overall, it impressed me immensely and I'm so glad I finally caved and bought a copy! I was also really amazed at the flawless way the two authors melded their work together, this is my first Terry Pratchett book also (at least as far as I can recall), but I've read a lot of Gaiman and I didn't feel like I was reading Gaiman, and then reading someone else, and then reading Gaiman again. Whether their authorial voices are very similar I don't know (although I'm definitely going to be kicking off into Pratchett's world of sci-fi/fantasy very soon!) but I never felt a disconnection or a separation in the text. It seems like they either worked very hard to achieve this, or they're simply such similar minds that it simply flowed beautifully between them.

So, definitely a good book to get me back into reading after my brief break and definitely a good book if you enjoy Neil Gaiman and, I'm going to going out on a limb here and assume, Terry Pratchett. Also, if you liked the Kevin Smith film Dogma, I think you'll get a kick out of this decidedly English book.

My Rating: 4/5

Monday Posts

*This week's video is an amazing stop motion film that animates some of the most iconic and unforgettable literary first lines.

*The ever amazing Lemony Snicket has written up 13 observations he made while watching the Occupy Wall Street protests.

*While there why not check out the entire site occupywriters.com. The sheer number of writers who've added their name on the front page is quite inspiring.


*Yesterday was the Brisbane Zombie walk, which raises money to support the Brain Foundation of Australia (of course!) and involves hundreds of people dressed up to their zombie 9's. Check out some pictures, some of the costumes are unbelievable!

*For all you Americans who enjoy Neil Gaiman, this link is for you! A fan is auctioning off a series of tickets to the Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer Benefit gigs, which include a meet and greet with the fantabulous couple. There are four tickets up for grabs in different locations and all the proceeds go to charity. If you're interested, go here for the full details.

*This isn't a link, but it's something that popped up as I was searching the interwebs for this week's links and I feel I need to state how fucked up I think it is. I'm talking about the video circulating of Muammar Gaddafi dying. Granted, he was a horrible human being, but how sick do you have to be to watch the video of anyone as they die, especially by such violent means? I haven't watched the video and I don't plan on ever watching it, or seeing stills from it, the man is dead do we really need to bask in the imagery of it?