Come Closer by Sara Gran

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This novel made me do something that I have not done since I was a kid with my trusty R.L. Stine Goosebumps books - read the whole thing in one sitting. And in under 2 hours. It helps that the book was under 200 pages, but regardless, it was one of the quickest and easiest reads I have come across in a long time. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate into it being one of the best, and I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.

That’s not to say it was a terrible novel – it wasn’t. There were scenes that were creepy and even borderline scary, but for a book hailed as a genuine horror story by many reputable people and one bursting at the seams with great reviews, I felt it fell short. I have a few theories on why this might be, so hop in, folks, and well explore them together.

· Lack of any character development. Again, at a brief 168 pages, I understand why we weren’t given the opportunity get to know Amanda. But especially in a novel that needs to play upon the reader’s sense of dread and fear to be successful, we need to feel some kind of connection with the character to whom the terror is happening. I didn’t. She was relatable in some aspects (eating cereal for dinner and ice cream for lunch – was this girl based on my life?), but it still failed to make her seem authentic enough for me care what was happening to her. Not to mention the other characters in the book. The author could have had Amanda interacting with a bunch of wooden spoons and it would have had the same effect.
· The waaay too easy explanation and acceptance of the demon possessing Amanda. I think this is the biggest issue I have with the book. She literally dreamed of a beautiful woman, and then the next day mysteriously received a demon possession magazine in the mail that included a handy “Are You Possessed by a Demon?” quiz. Oh would ya look at that – I AM possessed by a demon! And luckily she gave me her real name in the dream! So I even know which demon has decided to enter my vulnerable human body! Whatever happened to demons being masters of deception? This demon was pretty damn straight forward. Maybe Amanda respected the demon’s upfront approach because she certainly didn’t put up a fight.
· The extra details that never really were explained. Now I am all for open ended plots and subtle occurrences that need not be spoon fed to readers, but I really wanted more meat on some of these details. Her imaginary friend from childhood, for example. Was Pansey an incarnation of the demon who would eventually possess Amanda? The two doctors that Amanda seeks out – are they demons, as well? I would sure hope so given their behavior. Maybe I am being too finicky, because again, this novel is basically a short story and I have to be realistic as to what can be included in limited amount of words.
· This is my own fault, and I might be the only one who feels this way, but I think reading this all at once actually did a disservice to this novel. With a story like this, where the effectiveness depends on the reader overthinking the ordinary and allowing for the pure creepiness to sink into your skin, digesting it from beginning to end in a matter of 120 minutes took away from that. I didn’t have the necessary break from the story to really be consumed with Amanda’ possession and the odd things happening to her. In horror stories, a large part of the fear factor is our own minds spinning out of control and creating anxiety and unease based on what we have read. Had I read this book over a few days, maybe I would have had a completely different experience.

Now with all of that being said, I will admit that after I finished the book, I did begin to hear what sounded like tapping at random times throughout the night, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little nervous. A few shivers crept up my spine. So I guess the novel was successful at putting me on edge and making me think twice about the everyday noises that I always find a rational explanation for. So bravo!





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