☆☆☆☆
"What looked like morning was the beginning of endless night"
Chris MacNeil, actress and single mum, has a wonderful career, hard-earned wealth, and a precious eleven-year-old daughter. However, she is haunted by dreams of death, and soon the unimaginable starts happening. Her daughter Regan is changing: cursing, screaming, and claiming that furniture in her room keeps moving of its own accord. At first, Chris jots it down to attention seeking. But she soon convinces herself that her daughter isn't her daughter anymore - that Regan has been possessed by a demon.
This novel hooked my instantly, right from the prologue. While I admittedly found the opening a bit confusing - I'm still not sure what Father Merrin's story is - the writing was incredibly atmospheric, and so I knew it was going to be a great read. The writing style throughout was a mix of to-the-point, realistic dialogue, and purple prose with an abundance of witty metaphors.
The characters themselves were quite memorable. Father Karras is the stand-out character for me, with his inner struggle and torment making him feel extremely real. One thing that did bother me in regard to William Peter Blatty character work, however, was his portrayal of Chris. I finally understood what reviewers mean when they say that some male authors can't really write female characters. I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but she just felt like a charicature of how men suppose women think and feel.
With that being said, the plot was quick paced and had me intrigued throughout. While I wouldn't say I was terrified (note that I consider myself to have a high fear threshold), I was very much disturbed at multiple points while reading. This is definitely not a book for everyone, but if you do want to give it a shot, I'd suggest going into it with an open mind.
If you're a horror fan, though, I would highly recommend.