Review: This just did not work for me
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2013
Stories of exorcisms are tough as they will of course all be compared to the godfather of them all The Exorcist. But how can they not? There is little a writer can do to change the angle on this one. There is also the difficulty of religion. Exorcisms in the western world are based in the Catholic faith. It takes a skilled writer to create a nuanced, complex story without falling into the for or against religious argument. Graham either lacks the skill or wanted to take sides here.William Peter Blatty's hand is all over this story. Bibles, Jesuit priests, and epileptic fits abound. Graham's story vanished numerous times to images of Linda Blair and pea soup. There is also a very religious subtext to the story. The protagonist moves from a borderline non-believer to a believer. "She knew everything would work out. She had faith." Throughout the story, there are repeated references to sin and guilt. I read these as implications that Cheryl (our possessed girl) was inhabited by demons because she had been corrupted by sin. A very medieval concept, particularly considering the stance the Church took toward women in the 1200s (the womb as a vessel for Satan and all that nonsense).I am still not sure if this is just a ripoff of The Exorcist or one of those religious tracts disguised as a horror story. The message in a bottle concept. Either way, this just did not work for me on any level.