Release Date: May 5, 1971
Publisher: Harper & Row (Now HarperCollins)
Where to Buy: Bookshop
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Plot
While living in Washington, D.C. with her actress mother, eleven-year-old Regan starts acting strangely. It starts with her imaginary friend and some tapping noises coming from her room. Over the course of a few weeks the behavior progresses to swearing, obscene (dirty) language, outbursts of anger, moving furniture and random items around. Oh, and then her bed starts shaking and floating, she bends herself into impossibly painful positions, and requires high doses of clinical sedatives just to keep her calm, not even knocked out, just calm.
Her mother, Chris, turns to her doctor which leads to a neurologist and psychologists who can’t figure out what’s happening. Psychosis maybe? Enter Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest and psychiatrist. The novel splits the narrative between Chris and Father Karras. Karras is struggling himself with his faith and the death of his mother. Karras attempts to find a psychological explanation before finally deciding an exorcism is in order. The church calls in Lankester Merrin, who we meet at the very beginning of the book.
Things get crazy with the exorcism of course, but I’m not in the business of spoilers. Even for a book that has been out for over fifty years.
My Thoughts
I had decided that, this year, I wanted to read more of the classic horror, and The Exorcist was at the top of that list. It took me the first chapter (which was forty pages!) to get into the book. The writing style was something to get used to, particularly Chris’ dialogue and seeing as the first chapter is from her POV, it was a lot. It wasn’t too much to deter me though, and I once got used to it, I found myself feeling for Chris. She is a single mother, dealing with the stress of her job, guilt that Regan is suffering after the divorce, and, oh yeah, her daughter is possessed by a demon!
I truly enjoyed this book. The characters were real, they had flaws and redeeming qualities. The tension grabs you and doesn’t let go. Will they figure out what’s wrong with Regan? Will she survive? The side story of Karras with his mother’s death and his faltering faith only add to the tension. Is he up for the task?
As the first book in the classic horror range, it was a great pick. I can only imagine how much more shocking it was in the 70s, when the general population was somewhat desensitized to the graphic content and language.
Rating
4.5/5
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Alicia Coast 