Scarred - F. Paul Wilson
Author F. Paul Wilson has crafted any number of terrifying tales, but his most famous contribution to modern fiction is the introduction of Repairman Jack, one of the great genre characters of the past 25 years. I recommend any of his novels, though I have a soft spot for Hosts, which takes the alien bodysnatching plot to new and disturbing conclusions. What could possibly scare F. Paul Wilson?
THE EXORCIST
I gulped down the novel shortly after publication and it followed me around for weeks. I took it personally. Perhaps because I was raised a Catholic and knew all the tropes and symbols Blatty was playing with. Perhaps because I’d attended Georgetown University, so I knew the desecrated chapel, knew the block where the house was supposed to be, and damn near fell down those fatal steps a couple of times myself after touring the M Street bars. I was a sitting duck for THE EXORCIST. And it got me. With both barrels.
I reread it a few years ago and its puissance hasn’t diminished one iota. It demands rereading to appreciate the nuances of character and prose. And on the second time around I realized that even the title is nuanced. You go through the novel thinking of Merrin as the title character, but it’s all about Karras, who turns out to be the true exorcist.
As long as man is inhuman to his fellow man, as long as God remains hidden, as long as intelligent men of faith question their faith, this timeless novel will have a place on the bookshelves of the world.