Book title: Imaginary Friend
Author: Stephen Chbosky
ISBN: 9781409184829
Publisher: Orion
Publication year: 2020
The shadows were not terrifying. They were the proof that light exists. The fire and brimstone were all a mirage. The clouds nothing but steam inside a bathroom. All he needed to do was wipe away the mirror. He didn’t need a key. He was the key.
– Stephen Chbosky
Author Stephen Chbosky turned me into his fan ever since “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” came out.
The book later translates into an award-winning Hollywood movie and became a cult classic. It has a great script, great cast, it’s well directed, with an awesome soundtrack and undeniable strong performances.
Needless to say, I was excited to hear that Chbosky was dipping his feet into the horror genre with “Imaginary Friend”.
The premise is an interesting one, similar to Stephen King’s “It” in terms of the fact that horror is also a way of understanding childhood trauma. From a writer’s perspective, it’s also incredibly well-written — the imaginative dream sequences are clear, and the horrific imagery is not tasteless.
The book centres around a young boy named Christopher Reese who goes missing in the woods after following a disembodied voice. Upon returning, Christopher realises he has something akin to superpowers — he’s no longer dyslexic, he wins the lottery, and he can somehow hear people’s thoughts.
But there’s a catch. He keeps having reoccurring nightmares about a “hissing lady” who wants to tear down the wall between the “imaginary world” and the real one, which has something to do with another little boy who went missing 50 years ago.
“Imaginary Friend” has some wonderfully unnerving scenes throughout and truly does deliver on the horror. Where it fails is attributing the horror to the devil.
A third out, the book becomes preachy about good versus evil and dissolves into religious tropes involving virgin births and martyrdom, which kind of threw me off the horror.
However, as far as style and pacing goes, I can say that it is a well-written piece. Additionally, there were some wonderfully disturbing images and scenes which is exactly what a horror novel should deliver.
The main characters are also delightful. Christopher is endearing and his mum is incredible. She’s an admirable balance of responsible and renegade which is something I’d love to see more for female protagonists.
Personally, I would have loved to see this book written with a different ending. The first part of the book really captured me, but my opinion changed strongly by the halfway mark. It was still well written, and I still liked most of the characters but as the big twist unfolded, I had stopped caring about what the outcome would be.
