The Exorcist: A Novel Paperback – October 4, 2011

A note: I read the 2011 anniversary edition, which does differ from the OG 1971 first edition. There is an additional scene, a new character, and thorough revising and editing. According to an NPR interview in 2011, he wrote the original in nine months, receiving the screenplay offer just before finishing the first draft. As such, he never had a chance to revise the original, so it was published as is. Even Blatty has said of the 2011 version… “This is the version I would like to be remembered for.”The novel was truly revolutionary in its time, in large part because of the themes and how those themes were handled in the story, as well as in how it shaped the horror genre. It is an incredibly dark and graphic story, not at all smoothed and softened or in any way made more palatable. It’s a novel that holds up to time, a marker that it is one of the best horror novels ever written.The story is very complex, with very few characters that dwell outside the gray areas. Most of them are flawed, some more deeply than others, with their own thoughts and guilt and issues that affect them.The descriptions in this novel are also incredible, if very graphic. It is definitely not a book for the faint of heart, with scenes that range from vaguely eerie to terrifying to the most disturbing. “Atmospheric” doesn’t seem like a big enough word to characterize this book.This is one of those books that’s hard to qualify as a loved read, because the content makes “loved” seem like a cringey feeling for a book such as this. Not to mention the possible perception it might give of me as a person. So I will just go with… it’s a solid 5-star read.

Most of us are probably familiar with the movie “The Exorcist,” the 1973 movie based on this novel by William Peter Blatty. This 2011, 40th anniversary edition of the novel is a revised version by the author. He said of it, “The 40th Anniversary Edition of ‘The Exorcist’ will have a touch of new material in it as part of an all-around polish of the dialogue and prose. First time around I never had the time (meaning the funds) to do a second draft, and this, finally, is it. With forty years to think about it, a few little changes were inevitable – plus one new character in a totally new very spooky scene. This is the version I would like to be remembered for.”The novel is very cinematic; the movie turned out to be very faithful to the book. The places and characters are well drawn. Over fifty years old now, the novel’s plot is not as taut as one might expect from a thriller, but it holds up well. The shock value of the language has considerably lessened as American discourse has coarsened over the intervening years. I suspect, too, that belief in possession is not as prevalent now, and so perhaps the subject matter is not as scary or shocking as it once was.The story is nonetheless compelling. It is based on a real-life exorcism of a boy from Maryland, an anonymous individual who even church authorities are unsure was actually possessed. Set in Georgetown, the story follows the apparent possession of the young daughter of a movie star, Chris MacNeil, who is shooting a movie on campus. When foul play is suspected in the death of the director of the movie, a police detective, Lt. Kinderman, picks up the trail. A troubled young Jesuit, Fr. Karras, who is himself a psychiatrist, is brought in eventually—much later in the story than you might think—to investigate. Eventually, he teams up with an exorcist, Fr. Merrin, who is modeled after the famous French Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin, to perform an exorcism.As a former Jesuit scholastic (one who studied for the priesthood in that order), I was particularly drawn to the priest characters. Blatty, a Roman Catholic, did a remarkable job capturing what Jesuit priests are like. Fr. Karras, with his struggles over his faith, is particularly well written. All of the characters, except for the actor’s much put-upon personal assistant, Sharon, are well developed. (One wonders why Sharon sticks with her job given the literal crap she has to put up with.) A side character, Lt. Kinderman, stands out as a Columbo-like character, with many of the TV detective’s mannerisms and modus operandi. I pictured Peter Falk (even though the character is supposed to have been obese) in the role, but in the movie Kinderman was played by Lee J. Cobb.Whether or not one buys into the reality of exorcism, this is an enjoyable novel, a bit of escapism that asks some still relevant questions about the nature of faith and the reality of the divine and personified evil.

I have the disadvantage of reading this fifty-three years after it was written. After it had become a famous movie. After it had seeped into our popular culture. So much has happened between then and now that I wonder what it would have been like to read this back in the seventies. As it is, I stand here after years of imitation and homage including the great horror explosion of the 80s and in the midst of the advents of the internet and social media which are dissolving our country and culture and with them their faith traditions to the point that reading something like this feels somewhat underwhelming. I appreciated the literary backdrop and how it framed the story although the author can get a bit tedious with some descriptions and he annoyingly overuses some words like “frown” and “wan”. In the end I felt like I read a pretty good book that didn’t quite scratch the itch.

A good read. Disturbing in certain parts. Now I can finally watch the movie.I didn't find the book terrifying at all, but there are disturbing parts and I did put the book down for a while because of that.

Maravilhoso. O Exorcista é um dos meus filmes favoritos da vida, mas o livro talvez consiga ser ainda melhor. Um dos aspectos mais interessantes do livro é podermos conhecer com mais profundidade as personagens que, no filme, conhecemos apenas superficialmente. Recomendo demais!!

A fast-paced, occasionally info-heavy, great read. It has realistic humour, cold hatred, compassion, ignorance, faith, lost faith and sadness all composed in a really believable way (accepting certain beliefs and possibilities of course). Great characters and you can smell, hear, taste certain scenes and I tell you, you do not want to. What I would recommend you do, however, is read it. Unless you are squeamish or easily offended, then do not.

The exorcist is an extremely horror book 😰😰. I was kinda lost in a diffrent dimension while flipping the pages. Must to read

Given the title and popular movie I expected the book to be about...well, the Exorcist.However around 90% of the novel just deals with the young girl's illness, with her mother going from doctor to doctor to figure out what's wrong with her and how to help her. After all medical and psychological means led to no results, she almost accidentally stumbles over occultism, possession and exorcism. That's the remaining 10% of the book. It is not about religion, it's a highly realistic depiction of how you would help your child getting better. I'm deeply impressed by this book. Just great!