The Boy Who Could See Demons, Carolyn JessCooke
The Boy Who Could See Demons, Carolyn JessCooke
2 Rating(s)
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The Boy Who Could See Demons

Author: Carolyn Jess-Cooke

Narrator: Bruce Mann, Carolyn Jess-Cooke

Unabridged: 10 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/13/2013


Synopsis

Bestselling author Carolyn Jess-Cooke has written a brilliant novel of suspense that delves into the recesses of the human mind and soul—perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Lisa Unger. The Boy Who Could See Demons follows a child psychologist who comes up against a career-defining case—one that threatens to unravel her own painful past and jeopardizes the life of a boy who can see the impossible.
 
Dr. Anya Molokova, a child psychiatrist, is called in to work at MacNeice House, an adolescent mental health treatment center. There she is told to observe and assess Alex Connolly, a keenly intelligent, sensitive ten-year-old coping with his mother’s latest suicide attempt. Alex is in need of serious counseling: He has been harming himself and others, often during blackouts. At the root of his destructive behavior, Alex claims, is his imaginary “friend” Ruen, a cunning demon who urges Alex to bend to his often violent will.
 
But Anya has seen this kind of behavior before—with her own daughter, Poppy, who suffered from early-onset schizophrenia. Determined to help Alex out of his darkness, Anya begins to treat the child. But soon strange and alarming coincidences compel Anya to wonder: Is Alex’s condition a cruel trick of the mind? Or is Ruen not so make-believe after all? The reality, it turns out, is more terrifying than anything she has ever encountered.
 
A rich and deeply moving page-turner, The Boy Who Could See Demons sets out to challenge the imagination and capture the way life takes unexpected turns. In the best storytelling tradition, it leaves the reader changed.

Praise for The Boy Who Could See Demons
 
“A well written, engaging read filled with compassion for those suffering the whims of an untamed mental illness . . . A poignant read, The Boy Who Could See Demons is a suspenseful novel that probes the issues surrounding the devastating effects of mental illness. The author delves into the psychological issues of schizophrenia and mental disorders with such dexterity it leaves the reader stirred and affected, questioning throughout the story what is real and what is not. . . . As the conclusion draws near, the story takes unexpected turns, making it even more dramatic and compelling.”—New York Journal of Books
 
“Impressive . . . Jess-Cooke is every bit as skillful in her vivid portrayals of unworldly beings . . . as in illustrating the dreadful toll taken by mental illness.”—Booklist
 
“A searing novel of suspense.”—Publishers Weekly

“A psychologically complex thriller, told with compassion in a marvelously suspenseful narrative that keeps you engaged from the first page to the last . . . This book has it all: a dark and dangerous setting, characters full of depth, rich emotions, and a clever plot. You’ll fall in love with Alex—and his demons.”—Chevy Stevens, author of Still Missing
 
“Top-notch psychological suspense . . . Beware what you think you know. It might be only the demons talking.”—Lisa Gardner, author of Touch & Go
 
“Brilliant! Rich with fully formed characters, this heart-gripping novel will keep you riveted from first page to last.”—Jeffery Deaver, author of XO
 
“Utterly captivating, this is a book I adored and savored from the first to the very last magical page.”—Tess Gerritsen, author of Ice Cold

About The Author

Carolyn Jess-Cooke was born to a musical family in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is an award-winning author of poems and novels for adults, as well as four nonfiction books. Her first poetry collection, Inroads, won the Tyrone Guthrie Award, an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors, a Northern Promise Award, and was shortlisted for the London New Poetry Award. Her bestselling novel, The Guardian Angel’s Journal, has been translated into twenty-one languages.


Reviews

Goodreads review by karen on September 24, 2018

There's an Irishman, an Englishman, and a Scottish bloke washing the side of a skyscraper. Every day at lunchtime they sit on their balcony overlooking the city and eat their sandwiches. One day the Englishman opens his lunchbox and gets really angry. "Ham again!" he says. "If my wife packs me one m......more

Goodreads review by Amber on January 31, 2021

I don’t think the combination of words exist for me to explain how much I love this book. To start with I immediately love how the main character is a 10 year old because we often forget that young children can have mental disorders as well as adults and teenagers. I loved how the reader gets to rea......more

Goodreads review by Mansuriah on October 13, 2016

What a refreshing story this is! The Boy Who Could See Demons is told in alternating chapters from the perspective of Alex Broccoli, a 10 year old boy who speaks maturely for his age and of Dr. Anya Molokova, a child psychologist who is grieving over the death of her daughter, Poppy, who killed hers......more

Goodreads review by Mariota on October 21, 2020

Me ha encantado, me ha gustado mucho y no me esperaba lo que realmente es el libro. Pensaba que iban a haber demonios y que iba a ser de temática fantástica, pero no... Aviso que este libro no es fantástico. Este libro trata sobre un niño y lo que ha vivido, sobre las consecuencias del conflicto arm......more

Goodreads review by Encarni on October 23, 2020

Un libro que esconde mucho detrás. No es la historia de un niño que ve demonios, es mucho más. Me ha gustado por la forma de verlo todo desde dos personajes distintos, cada uno con su pasado, cada uno con su cruz. Unas vidas nada fáciles. Alex es un niño maravilloso que ha crecido antes de tiempo po......more


Quotes

“A well written, engaging read filled with compassion for those suffering the whims of an untamed mental illness . . . A poignant read, The Boy Who Could See Demons is a suspenseful novel that probes the issues surrounding the devastating effects of mental illness. The author delves into the psychological issues of schizophrenia and mental disorders with such dexterity it leaves the reader stirred and affected, questioning throughout the story what is real and what is not. . . . As the conclusion draws near, the story takes unexpected turns, making it even more dramatic and compelling.”New York Journal of Books
 
“Impressive . . . Jess-Cooke is every bit as skillful in her vivid portrayals of unworldly beings . . . as in illustrating the dreadful toll taken by mental illness.”Booklist
 
“A searing novel of suspense.”Publishers Weekly

“A psychologically complex thriller, told with compassion in a marvelously suspenseful narrative that keeps you engaged from the first page to the last . . . This book has it all: a dark and dangerous setting, characters full of depth, rich emotions, and a clever plot. You’ll fall in love with Alex—and his demons.”—Chevy Stevens, author of Still Missing
 
“Top-notch psychological suspense . . . Beware what you think you know. It might be only the demons talking.”—Lisa Gardner, author of Touch & Go
 
“Brilliant! Rich with fully formed characters, this heart-gripping novel will keep you riveted from first page to last.”—Jeffery Deaver, author of XO
 
“Utterly captivating, this is a book I adored and savored from the first to the very last magical page.”—Tess Gerritsen, author of Ice Cold
 
“An absolute chiller, deep, moving, and utterly gripping . . . I was riveted from the unsettling beginning to the mind-bender of an ending. This is a stellar read that will stay with me for a good long while.”—Lisa Unger, author of Heartbroken
 
“A rare and intriguing book, both emotionally and intellectually challenging . . . The cerebral challenge is the puzzle at the heart of the novel: Whose truth is real?”—Helen Grant, author of The Vanishing of Katharina Linden
 
“A stunning story—a well-researched, authoritative delve into psychosis, guilt, and damage . . . thrilling, wholly plausible, and utterly satisfying.”—Julia Crouch, author of Every Vow You Break
 

“Gripping from the opening paragraph to its final revelations, this is a brilliant exploration of the point where imagination, psychology, art, politics, and the supernatural meet and merge in a young boy’s mind. The Boy Who Could See Demons is touching and painfully funny.”—Christopher Fowler, author of The Memory of Blood