For some silly reason, I put a little distance between the last Grady Hendrix novel I read. But I’ve made up for it by reading My Best Friend’s Exorcism!
Just like all of the other works I’ve read by Hendrix, this novel has the perfect mix of comedy and horror. Given that this story takes place in the late 80s and it’s two main characters are sophomores in high school, you just know some things are going to be ridiculous… and ridiculously hilarious. But before we meet them in their teens, we first meet them at 10. Abby’s ET themed birthday party is a bust until socially awkward and sheltered Gretchen shows up. After some forced interaction, Abby soon realizes she’s found her best friend for life. It’s then that we flashforward to their time in high school. Glee and Margaret have been added to the friend group, but it’s clear their bond isn’t as strong as Abby and Gretchen’s.
That is, until they all try LSD and Gretchen gets lost in the woods. Abby can tell right away that something is off, but Gretchen claims otherwise. Then things really start to change. From Abby’s perspective, Gretchen becomes a vessel of nasty. Turns out, Gretchen is actually the vessel of a demon! I felt like it frustratingly long for Abby to believe Gretchen, but I suppose I wouldn’t believe my friend either if they told me a demon was taking house in their body. After several weeks of suffering, it appears the demon has won out and transforms Gretchen into a goddess with a vicious streak. She’s out to destroy everyone close to her, but she’s saving Abby for last.
I will say, some of the stuff that Hendrix came up with was both clever and skin-crawling. I especially squirmed when I learned what Gretchen had done to Margaret (no spoilers, though!). Abby finally started to wake up when no one was believing her and also when some God-squad came and performed at their school. The youngest, and buffest, member of this bible-thumping family came to perform, but he ended up spotting the demon in Gretchen. Abby ends up turning to him for help, so they end up putting together a full-blown exorcism! It doesn’t actually pan out as one would expect, but the results are just as satisfying.
Aside from this being another excellent entry in Hendrix’s bibliography, it’s also really cool to read about such a strong and lasting friendship! I’d like to think I’d help out any of my friends if they were being possessed, but Abby really ran the gambit. Just like all of other Hendrix’s work, you should definitely check this out! Also, I learned this is getting adapted into a movie with Eighth Grade‘s Elsie Fisher as Abby, and that’s just perfect casting. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!