When the Devil Comes Calling

The night before Halloween is called Devil's Night in some communities and mischief is the prime activity. As I was thinking about what (the hell) I was going to post about today (i'm just about Halloween brain dead) it occurred to me that the last two books I've read centered around the devil coming to call. Three books, actually, if we go back a few months.

I just finished reading A Head Full of Ghosts (2015) by Paul Tremblay. I've been wanting to read one of his novels for awhile and this book is on Hoopla (you can read it online for free!) The story takes place in current time (there are cellphones and reality tv) and is about the suspected possession of a fourteen year old girl told through the memories of her sister who was eight years old at the time of the event and is telling the story to a best-selling author writing a book about it.

The story focuses on the dynamics of the family and how that changes when a reality tv show becomes involved. There are twists and turns in this novel and we're kept guessing whether Marjorie is truly possessed by the devil or suffering from psychosis. Parts of this book are pretty darn creepy.

Wakenhyrst (2019) by Michelle Paver is also about what happens to a family when a member becomes troubled by the devil. The story takes place at the turn of the twentieth century in England and is a gothic-style tale with eerie descriptions of the fen. The story is told my Maud, the daughter in the family, who is also relating her memory of events to a reporter many years later.

At Wakenhyrst, the family estate, we observe Maud's dominant father slowly descending into madness believing that the devil has come for him. Again, there are enough twists and turns to make you wonder if there is something supernatural occurring or if it's all imagination. I wouldn't say this story scared me, but it did keep me guessing.

Huh, didn't realize I had such a reading theme lately.  Devil's Day (2017) by Andrew Michael Hurley also concerns the dynamics of a family when the devil comes to call.

The Pentacost family practices a yearly ritual of redrawing the poverty boundaries to protect their sheep and the community from the devil. When the son brings his new pregnant wife back to the moors where he grew up to participate in the ritual, memories are brought to surface that stir things up. This novel is slow to be sure, but beautifully written. The moors almost become a character in the story and lend a great deal to the disquieting uneasiness.

I recommend all three of these novels. You'll like them best if you're a fan of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. All of these devil books are what I would call ghosts-of-the-mind books. There are no jump-out-of-your-skin moments, but the evil creeps up on you and will keep you thinking about them long after.