My best friend's exorcism (Italian edition)

I went into this audiobook expecting a pulpy, 80s-set demon story—I came out with a story that’s as much about the horrors of friendship as it is about demonic possession. Giulia Amato’s narration is a masterclass in maintaining tone: her voice for Abby is laced with a nervous energy that makes her eventual breakdowns feel earned, while her Gretchen is a masterclass in simmering dread, her words dripping with a menace that’s all the more chilling for how understated it is. The production team deserves credit too; the sound design is immersive without overpowering the story, using subtle audio cues (a distant scream, the crinkle of a Ouija board) to ratchet up the tension. My only complaint is that the middle act drags slightly—the slow unraveling of Gretchen’s condition is effective, but it occasionally feels like it’s spinning its wheels before the finale picks up speed. What makes *My Best Friend’s Exorcism* truly stand out, though, is how Hendrix refuses to let the horror exist in a vacuum. The demon here isn’t just a supernatural threat; it’s a metaphor for the way toxic relationships consume us, the way love can curdle into something monstrous. The 1980s setting isn’t just window dressing—it’s the air these characters breathe, and the contrast between their shiny pop-culture fantasies and the rot beneath is deliciously unsettling. By the time the exorcism sequence hits, you’re not just listening to a story about banishing evil—you’re watching two girls try to save each other, even as one of them becomes the thing they’re fighting. It’s a gut-punch of a book, and Amato’s narration ensures it lands exactly where it hurts.