[HDNA #02] - My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

[Neon Maniac]

That's Margaret in the back, but where's Glee?

Glee is driving the truck.

[Alien Redrum]

[Neon Maniac]

Spoilers for Chapters 13-15:
Jenny (867-5309)
Total Eclipse of the Heart
New Sensation

#1 I am starting a band called The Dukes of Neon.

Interesting visit to the building where this all began. We get to sort of meet Riley, Margaret’s odd brother. Plenty of mentions of rape juice, satanic worship.... and slave torture?!? What’s with the slavery mentions in these chapters? Seems important, could this be the ultimate birth of the demon?

I can’t believe Abby fell for the three-way calling trick, it was so obvious girl! I hate all her friends.

If you are not reading this book with all the added in pictures you are missing out. The slave day picture is awesome. My favorite picture is in a later chapter which I have already saved and will be posting when we get there.

It seems that Abby’s denial of her friend because of the slave day shit that gretchen pulled was the last part of Gretchen’s will. She has given up. The change seems somewhat near completion. Gretchen has become a different person... but to what end?

What is really inside the shakes???

And man what a great line to end the chapter on. Sets up the rest of the book and makes you want to not stop reading.

Interesting chapters all around.

I liked the visit to the blockhouse and meeting Riley. He seems to back up the Molly story. But I wonder if the Molly story is as recent as people believe, because those stories always seem to be just a few years before, but maybe the reality here is Molly is decades old, or, possibly, from the slave era. It's just a legend getting passed down generation after generation.

What I didn't like about it is, is Wallace Stoney supposed to be some kind of Keyser Solze then?

Slave day, aka the return of Ilana dropped a lot of clues, I think. I don't think I caught them all. I love how everyone starts basically gaslighting Abby here. We've all had that feeling of wanting to say, "Am I the crazy person here?" and Abby is right there.

For the shakes, I'm 100% betting that he's ripped off Mean Girls. Specifically that part where she tricks the girls into eating diet bars that are actually candy bars so they gain weight. I think the shakes are high calorie and Margaret gets fat. Not too long after that he mentions again how Margaret is ashamed of her size and always trying to lose weight. That's my thought.

And yeah, I think you're right. Abby abandoned Gretchen, and Gretchen gave into the dark side. The demon is fully in charge of her. She's now essentially that demon. I'm betting it uses the owls as minions and Abby got swooped by one when she came to visit. I'm betting the demon has charmed and manipulated everyone around Gretchen to do whatever it wants, and is now using that to torture Abby.

The actual book doesn't have any pictures. This chapter did have the best friend question cards though.

[Neon Maniac]

I don't think this is a spoiler, but maybe skip if you're not caught up yet, AR.

I've noticed that Abby has become an unreliable narrator. In one of the chapters, when Abby and the Gretchen Family are freaking out after the doctor's appointment, one of the parents and then Gretchen herself, both tell Abby that the tests showed she was still a virgin. But Abby gets it into her head that Gretchen was raped, and won't let that go. While we're seeing the story through Abby's eyes, try and look at what Abby does as a third hand observer.

I think there's at least a 15% chance that we're being Shyamalan'd and Abby is the one who is possessed.

[shiki-jitsu]

Oh man you missed out on the great Dukes of Neon show flyer and the Slave Day flyer.

[Alien Redrum]

Spoilers for Chapters 13-15:
Jenny (867-5309)
Total Eclipse of the Heart
New Sensation

Interesting visit to the building where this all began. We get to sort of meet Riley, Margaret’s odd brother. Plenty of mentions of rape juice, satanic worship.... and slave torture?!? What’s with the slavery mentions in these chapters? Seems important, could this be the ultimate birth of the demon?

YES! I didn't even think about this, but yeah!

When they mentioned slave day, my first thought was, "This and black face? WTF kind of school is this?" But now it makes sense. I think you are definitely on to something here. I bet someone killed the only black family in town 20 years ago, and now it's payback.

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

I can’t believe Abby fell for the three-way calling trick, it was so obvious girl! I hate all her friends.

I knew it was going to be a 3-way call immediately when Glee said her sister was home and she'd call her back. I thought bullshit. Who cares if your sister is home, Glee! You're up to no good!

Glee isn't the innocent girl I thought she was.

(And teenagers are dummies. I used to do this shit all the time to my friends when I was a teenager. )

If you are not reading this book with all the added in pictures you are missing out. The slave day picture is awesome. My favorite picture is in a later chapter which I have already saved and will be posting when we get there.

They are cracking me up. The phone was kind of lame, but the slave day ones (the one you posted) had me laughing.

"Like wow I'm a slave," is my new favorite statement.

Definitely agree with the rest.

I liked the visit to the blockhouse and meeting Riley. He seems to back up the Molly story. But I wonder if the Molly story is as recent as people believe, because those stories always seem to be just a few years before, but maybe the reality here is Molly is decades old, or, possibly, from the slave era. It's just a legend getting passed down generation after generation.

Also of interest, the dude that was fucking murdered with some statue and it never made the papers.

What the fuck is going on in this town?

And also agreed on the rest, especially the unreliable narrator part. Why is Abby insisting she was raped when Dr. Love found the hymen intact? (I shuddered when I wrote that. Gross.)

[Neon Maniac]

OMG Thanks for posting those pics. Yeah, the book doesn't have those. This school is effed up.

[Alien Redrum]

Don't let slavery happen to you, Ron.

[Neon Maniac]

[Neon Maniac]

Here's the real mind fuck for you guys.

You think my name comes from the movie Neon Maniacs.

Nope.

I've just always been a big fan of Wallace Stoney.

How does that work? That's part of the mystery for you.

[Alien Redrum]

Oh man you missed out on the great Dukes of Neon show flyer and the Slave Day flyer.

5 Faber Street, Charleston, South Carolina

Neon's idea is fantastic.





(It's about 20 miles from Wadmalaw Island.)

[Alien Redrum]

And at Neon's real story!!

[Neon Maniac]

That totally looks like it could've been a shitty all ages hall.

[Alien Redrum]

I read the next three chapters. OMG.

[Neon Maniac]