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.
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Book came ripped
The top of the outside of the book came ripped. Real bummer. But still an amazing read.
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2021
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- Arnav SinghReviewed in India on May 28, 2024
The Exorcist : A book for not only horror lovers , but also for good literary skills!
