Come CloserSara Gran
Soho Press, May 2011
ISBN: 978-1616951009
A middle-aged woman's idyllic life falls apart as she becomes victim to a demonic possession
Amanda has a perfect life, then suddenly things start to go terribly wrong. She hears strange noises, starts doing things she would never do, blacks-out for long periods of time with no idea what she's been doing. Things just keep escalating and getting worse.
Amanda is a young woman and her world starts to decay one day when she sees someone on the street who looks like her imaginary childhood friend. This is the start as small things get noticed and Amanda finds herself reacting in unusual ways to various situations. As things get worse, Amanda is told by a psychic that she is possessed by a demon.
After mistakenly receiving a book in the mail about demonology that includes a quiz on how to tell whether your possessed or not, Amanda is gradually able to answer yes to more of the questions as time goes by until it becomes painstakenly clear that she is no longer in control of her actions and that it may already be too late to exorcise Naamah from ruining her life and haunting her dreams.
Come Closer is delightfully creepy, engaging, extremely well-written, and surprisingly humorous. One would not think that the descent into madness could be funny, but Ms. Gran confirms that a story can be horrifying and funny at the same time. It is a combination that works well, making Come Closer a quick and compelling read at the same time providing food for thought on relationships and one's obligations in those relationships. Come Closer works because of these compelling questions and the hint of the macabre. This is closer to a classic ghost story than to most modern horror which is full of blood and violence. The reader is left wondering if Amanda was possessed or just crazy. The book is very short and makes for a very quick read. If you enjoy psychological horror then you will enjoy this.
SARA GRAN is the author of the novels Saturn's Return to New York, Dope, and Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, the first in a detective series. Her work has been published in over a dozen countries and in nearly twice as many magazines, newspapers, and literary journals. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sara Gran now lives in California.
ISBN: 978-1616951009; ISBN10: 1616951001; Imprint: Soho Press; On Sale: 5/31/2011; Format: Paperback; Pages: 168; $13.00
