I do most of my reading at night just before turning out the light.  The Exorcist is best read while alone and undisturbed. It is even better if your house makes a lot of random, unexplained noises.  I’m all about the atmosphere.

A movie star comes to believe that her young daughter Reagan is possessed.  A young priest, battling his own demons of guilt and doubt, is called upon to help.  An old priest arrives to face his ancient enemy one more time.

The story is ultimately about faith.  The mother is an athiest.  The old priest has complete faith.  My favorite character was that of Damien Karras, the younger Jesuit priest and psychiatrist.  Damien struggles between faith and doubt, and he seeks proof one way or another.

The detective investigating a death that occurred in the house is perhaps one of the most irritating characters of any book I’ve read.  There would have to be some reference to an investigation into the possibility of foul play, but I could have done without his presence.  His gimmick was acting dumb in order to catch someone off guard with a sharp question.  It got old, and  I kept wishing one of the other characters would call him on it.

The strange activity and behaviors are treated without fanfare.  It simply is.  That simplicity is what makes the situations more disturbing.  Obviously there is something very wrong with Reagan.  The situations only worsen as doctor after doctor can offer no answer.  The mother is at a breaking point as she is both concerned for her daughter and terrified by the “Reagan-thing.”  This desperation leads her to beg for an exorcism.

In the end  Father Karras finds his answers and perhaps even his purpose.  He is the only character in whom the reader can see a definitive change.  The others are left without any neat resolutions.  They have only questions.