Book Review: Come Closer by Sara Gran

Title: Come Closer

Author: Sara Gran

Genre: Horror

Number of Pages: 196

Rating: B+

Recommended?: Yes

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Something is wrong with our protagonist, Amanda. Without even meaning to, she burns her husband with a cigarette. She starts losing time and hearing strange sounds in the walls. What initially seems to be a potential mental health issue turns out to be possession by an ancient demon.

Come Closer is a bleak but fast-paced and luridly entertaining descent into hell, as Amanda wakes up in various places and loses control of her own actions and body. Her husband Ed and her don’t seem to have a lot in common or have a particularly good relationship, but the demon inhabiting Amanda’s body quickly makes things a hell of a lot worse. The irony is that their relationship was on the rocks anyway.

Ed was a ‘comfortable’ choice for a spouse but it would be a stretch to say either one loves the other. What’s particularly interesting about this novel is that the demon provides an outlet for Amanda’s repressed emotions. It’s just not an outlet Amanda wants or benefits from. I was kind of confused by Amanda getting the book about demonology in the mail.

The demon seems to influence everything that happens to her and why would it want her to have a book that would help her identify it? The whole thing with the book felt forced, to be honest. I can’t say I ever really connected to Amanda’s character (I felt neutral about her throughout and she probably could have used more development) but I enjoyed Sara Gran’s writing style and her combination of eerie imagery and visceral psychological horror. It also offers an interesting glimpse into mythology that I knew nothing about.