My Best Friend’s Exorcism book review

{SPOILERS}

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a novel set in SC in 1988 and is about 4 sophomores in high school during the height of the “Satanic Panic” of the 80s and early 90s. The novel focuses on Abby, a highly intelligent girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Her BFF and the victim of said exorcism is Gretchen; the quintessential 80s girl: pretty, blonde, smart, rich, and kind to her friends. Rounding them out is the calm and collected zen-like Glee and the chubby and obnoxious Margaret. The quartet go to a prestigious private school where Abby has to earn a scholarship to attend but the other 3 – Gretchen, Glee and Margaret, come from the right side of the tracks - and are able to afford the tuition.

The foursome go to a lake to do acid and skinny dip one summer night. Gretchen takes the acid and through a series of events goes missing. Sometime during her absence, Gretchen becomes possessed by a demon. However, the actual possession is never shown and it’s left a bit ambiguous on if her condition is actually a demonic possession or a psychotic episode. Harkening on this point further is the actual exorcism. Brother Lemon is an evangelical wannabe exorcist who fails during Gretchen’s exorcism., There are indications that he failed not because of his poor proficiency as an exorcist but instead that Gretchen was never actually possessed. Furthering this point is that once Brother Lemon gets out of Dodge, Abby takes it upon herself to successfully perform the exorcism in his place. She does this despite not being religious and doing a secular version of an exorcism. There are signs that this was some sort of psychotic break and that Gretchen faked being freed from the “demon” to be released. Admittedly, there is more evidence that Gretchen was indeed possessed, but the actual exorcism gives just enough credence to the contrary.

It’s never stated if this is the case or not, but if it wasn’t a possession but was instead an episode of schizophrenia, this makes for a better climax of the novel. There’s no ambiguity on the nature of Gretchen’s condition during the 2nd act. It’s not until the third that doubts are planted. I like this interpretation a lot better – even if it doesn’t go into clarity on what is wrong with Gretchen or on why she acted the way that she did. However, these questions have to be left unanswered in order for this to work.

Conversely, if we take the novel at face value and accept that Gretchen was indeed possessed by a demon, then the ending was extraordinarily weak and a letdown of an otherwise fascinating story. Some Redditors have said that it was the power of friendship that saved Gretchen. That’s plausible but pretty lame. This is an eccentric and clever book with a helluva buildup, so it deserved better than a Kumbaya resolution.

Hendrix nails teenage girl group and friend dynamics. The novel focuses on the relationship between Abby and Gretchen. It’s a great exploration on what teenage girl friendship were like in the 80s. Beyond the actual exorcism, the novel is about Abby’s unrelenting love for Abby and her devotion to saving her. My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a great tale about healthy sisterhood and in many ways can be seen as a love story. The love from Abby to Gretchen is platonic, but it burns just as strong as romantic love. There aren’t any underlying lesbian undertones and that’s what makes the novel strong. The love is fully platonic and Abby’s devotion stems solely from her love for her as a friend, not as a lover. This was a great decision by Hendrix to keep their friendship strictly platonic as Abby’s quest seems pure – not in a puritanical sense - but rather their bond has a juvenescent sincerity that takes the reader on a nostalgic trip back to their own childhood when friendship was the only reason for your existence.

Adolescence, specifically those friendships, are powerful and unique times that can never be replicated. There’s a certain level of joy, for those of us fortunate enough to have had pleasurable upbringings, when we look back on our adolescence and the friends that we made. Conversely, the more joy our childhood gave us, the more bittersweet it is when nostalgia hits. Youth and those friends that accompany it can never be replicated, and those moments are irrevocable. This isn’t a coming-of-age story but Hendrix captures a microcosm of how and why those friendships are so paramount. Your parents, school, future, religion, sports, etc., all fall short of matching the potency of teenage friendships. This isn’t always a good thing and Hendrix speaks to that too, but it’s powerful, nonetheless, and that’s Grady’s point. My Best Friend’s Exorcism takes us on a journey – good and bad – ugly and beautiful – through the enigmatic intricacies of teenage friendship.

----7.5/10