Synopsis:
If everything in Amanda’s life is so perfect, then why the mood swings, the obscene thoughts, the urge to harm the people she loves? What are those tapping sounds in the walls? And who’s that woman following her? The mystery behind what’s happening to Amanda in Come Closer is so frightening that it “ought to carry a warning to…readers.”
Edition:
Kindle e-book (purchased)
Update for 2023: I now own a signed hardcover, and it looks like a new version of the paperback will be available in September of this year.
My Thoughts:
Amanda is an unreliable narrator for the ages. Is she possessed, or is she just spiraling further and further into madness? All I know is that with every subsequent ‘Are you possessed by a demon’ quiz she took, and each time she scored higher, my heart beat a little faster.
“Amanda,” she said, “stop trying, I love you. I’m never letting you go.”
Possession angle aside entirely, I feel like Gran really nails the (at least my) female experience. The constant feelings of self-doubt, the impostor syndrome…it just hit really close for me… She clearly gets it. I think the constant doubt Amanda feels regarding her own sense of self is a brilliant way to not only frame the possibility of possession, but to make it extra terrifying – I mean who among us can’t relate to that at least a little? I mean, am I possessed? Maybe…
Amanda just wants someone to love and understand her. I think we can all relate. It’s a very human desire, after all. But how much does she want it? Enough that it drives her slowly mad? Or maybe she wants it so bad that she’s willing give herself over to a demon in exchange for companionship? I think the specifics are up for debate, and that’s a brilliant way to tell a story like this. I think she’s legit possessed, and so does she, but that doesn’t necessarily make it face, you know?
I really love the tension building in this story. Amanda’s lessening autonomy over mind, body and soul is truly terrifying. It felt to me like the story was building in a way that sort of digs into your soul right at the start and then squeezes tighter and tighter until you feel like you can’t take it anymore.
About the Author:
Sara Gran is the author of Saturn’s Return to New York (2001), Come Closer (2003), Dope (2006), and the forthcoming Claire DeWitt & The City of the Dead (2011), the first in a series of novels featuring private eye Claire DeWitt. Her work has been published in over a dozen countries and as many languages. Her books have been optioned for film by Miramax, Dimension, and Paramount. Born in Brooklyn in 1971, Ms. Gran lived in New York City until 2004. Since then she has traveled widely and lived throughout the US including Miami and New Orleans. She now resides in the state of California. Before making a living as a writer, Ms. Gran had many jobs, primarily with books, working at Manhattan bookstores like Shakespeare & Co, The Strand, and Housing Works, and selling used & rare books on her own. [taken from the author’s Amazon page]
Rating:
Frankly, Come Closer kinda scared the crap out of me. The realistic foundation Gran has built for a demonic possession is truly unsettling. It reminds me a lot of the movie Possession (Andrzej Żuławski, 1981 – if you haven’t seen it, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s fucking phenomenal). I make that comparison in the most complimentary way possible, btw.
Come Closer By Sara Gran Berkley Trade Horror ISBN: 0425210316 Published: May 2, 2006 E-book, Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Mass Market Paperback 194 Pages Author's Website
