book review the exorcist

The greatest horror books of all time are books that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up just by the rustling of the pages. These scary horror books you don’t want to read at night all by yourself because they’re just a little too scary.

Many of these scary books have been turned into horror movies, while others are too frightening to be imagined in real life and one of these books we gonna discuss in this article is William Peter Blatty’s horror novel ‘The Exorcist’, this is one of the scariest novels I ever read and thanks to that now I am having nightmares.

Overview

The Exorcist is a 1971 novel in the horror genre by William Peter Blatty. It tells the story of the possession of a young girl named Regan MacNeil. In 1973, the book developed into a most famous and critically acclaimed horror film with the same name and later on spawned a number of sequels… read more on Wikipedia

Non-Spoiler Summary

Actress Chris MacNeil is living temporarily in Georgetown with her daughter Regan, her housekeepers (an elderly Swiss couple named Willie and Karl), and her secretary Sharon Spencer. Chris hears strange sounds emanating from Regan’s bedroom and notices furniture and items of clothing seeming to move around the house. Chris discovers that Regan has been playing with an Ouija board to talk to an invisible friend named Captain Howdy. 

Regan starts showing strange behavior and becomes angry and restless. Chris seeks out medical help, and Dr. Klein recommends further tests. Chris cannot explain the strange occurrences around the house, one night Chris hears Regan scream and finds her writhing on her shaking bed.

later on, Chris requests Father Karras to do the exorcism without knowing about the consequences they are about to face. the story revolves around a question, what is this? a psychological condition, spirit, multiple spirits, Demon or Devil himself.

Some lines from the book:

“I believe that there’s something inside of her that’s trying to kill her and whether it knows to piss from Seven-Up doesn’t seem to have very much to do with it, don’t you think so, Father Karras? I mean, sorry, but you asked my opinion!” Chris irritably tamped out her cigarette in the ashtray. “And so what are you telling me now—no exorcism?”

Chris

“Look, I’ve only just begun to dig into this,” Karras retorted, beginning to match Chris’s heat. “But the Church has criteria that have to be met and they have to be met for very good reasons, like not doing more harm than good, as well as trying to keep clear of the superstitious garbage that people keep pinning on us year after year! I give you

Karras

The Exorcist Theme

Perhaps the most important theme in text is the conflict between faith and reason. Few of the characters are willing to accept that a supernatural entity has possessed Regan, instead doggedly pursuing scientific explanations for what has happened to the young girl. 

Karras embodies this theme most fully. He is a priest of faltering faith and a psychiatrist who dismisses the supernatural with rationalizations as a coping mechanism.

Karras struggles with guilt over not being able to help his mother; projecting reason onto an issue of faith is a way to control the uncontrollable. The tension between Karras’s rational and religious sides finally resolves when he accepts both aspects of his intellect

Review

In my opinion, the author did a really great job by showing the dilemma for Karras and Chris and a thin line between faith and reasoning. if you want to experience a most terrifying story as the book says on its cover then you should definitely read this book.

I hope this article help you to give the insight of “the Exorcist” If it help you then comment down below your thoughts and share with your friends and family on social media.

Preview

Simillar Books