This was a short but interesting read. I liked how the world was built and the characters were interesting. The main drama was written well and i liked how the demon seemed to grow and be presented throughout. The writing was fine but it was more the scenario and action that kept me hooked.

Magnificent. This is a short, sharp shocker that cleverly plays with expectations, without ever frustrating. I was totally gripped by the main character’s plight as she begins to suspect she is possessed by a demon—or is she just disappointed by where her life has taken her? Smart, sad, wry and chilling, this is one of the best horror books I’ve read in years and I can’t wait to read it again.

This was a pitch perfect possession story that was by turns, horrifying, heartbreaking and very funny. I loved the idea of the demon possession quiz that Amanda (our protagonist) takes on numerous occasions. I also thought that the interactions between her and Naamah were fascinating and that there was an element of love and protection on the side of the demon, which I found really interesting. The relationship between Amanda and Edward was nuanced and well crafted, happy on the surface but definitely toxic. With Rosemary's Baby vibes and a devastating final act, this was an absolute joy and I will eagerly pick up anything by Sara Gran in future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was great and I'm sorry I waited so long to read it.

Told in quite no-nonsense prose is the story of Amanda and Ed. The couple are happily married and while there may be a few things that grate on each othets' nerves life is good. Until Amanda has a strange dream about her childhood imaginary friend and things start to unravel.

The perfect length this doesn't overstay its welcome but I also don't feel like it was cut short.

I thought it an interesting take on the genre and found the suggestions it made about our darker impulses plausible and disturbing.

I look forward to reading more from this author. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Incredible!! This is the quintessential modern (I'm meaning post-Exorcist) possession story. Full of creeping dread, tight, well-crafted prose and plenty of tense moments this is such an enjoyable horror novel. Since reading it I've also acquired it on audio (something I rarely do) just because I love the story so much. A classic.

Absolutely wild; the psychological terror of Stephen King and although surprisingly short it will stay with you...

Come closer gets you hooked from the first page. I read it in a day I could not put it down because I wanted to know what was going on with Amanda and how it would end. The story is a easy read and I connected with the characters straight the way. It’s a creepy thriller. I not read a book like this before so I find it quite interesting. The story is about Amanda who is married to Ed but strange things start happening to her that she can’t explain so chooses to ignore them.
I will definitely read another of Sara Gran books again.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

Wow! What a thrill ride. Fantastic creepy book that gets going from the very beginning and 100% doesn't stop until the end. Took a little over 2 hours to get through and I couldn't put it down for a second.
If demonic possession makes you beautiful and youthful; where do I sign up? Sounds like fun!

So good, creepy and just compelling. I felt hooked and mesmerised by the story. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. Such disturbing images and also a bit of glee.

I loved reading this book! So deliciously dark and creepy. It's short but intense. The tension creeps up until it reaches the dramatic conclusion - you know this is the only way it's going to end! A must for all horror lovers!

At under 200 pages this novella quickly builds on the tension and despair as Amanda loses control of herself to the demon Namaah.

Enjoyable dark seductive thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A much-needed reissue of a fiercely unsettling book. Although a somewhat short read, Come Closer will leave you reeling.

It's a creepy, unsettling and disturbing novella, a trip into insanity and demonic possession. At the same time is full of dark humour and highly entertaining.
It's the first time I read it and i found that everything is perfect: the sparse style of writing, the pace and the length.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was surprised to discover Come Closer on Netgalley, and having heard so many great things about it from other bloggers I jumped at the chance to read it.

Come Closer takes us on Amanda's journey from a quiet, somewhat content existence into the depths of madness.

At under 200 pages this novella quickly builds on the tension and despair as Amanda loses control of herself to the demon Namaah.

The tale is told in first from Amanda's point of view leaving the reader only aware of as much as she is. Her blackouts are our blackouts creating a sense of dread and futility as she tries to understand what is happening.

A short, fun read for any horror lover.

Short and horrible, this was exactly the length that I want my horror to be: enough to get me invested but not so much that I think too hard about the details. In Come Closer, Amanda documents her descent into demonic possession, starting with a prank on a colleague and ending with death. It’s a wild ride!

I’m old enough to have read this first time around, but my memory of it is so good that I could not resist revisiting Sarah Gran’s Come Closer. This is a book that has lost none of its grip; none of its power. Come Closer is a novella. The writing is spare and taut and the beauty of it lies in its narrative structure.

Come Closer centres on Amanda, an accomplished architect, newly married to Ed. They have recently moved into an industrial loft space they plan to make their own. They are deliriously happy, but then things start to go wrong…badly wrong.

The couple begin to hear disturbing tapping sounds and Amanda dreams vivid and colourful dreams of a once imaginary friend. Over several nights these dreams intensify until Amanda ‘s head is full of troubled thoughts.

Gran’s story focusses solely on Amanda as she struggles to understand what is happening to her. Small, incremental changes in her behaviour make a troubling difference to the way she sees herself. As Gran delves deep into her psyche, it is difficult to know whether there are external forces at work or whether Amanda is slowly losing her mind. Either way, Gran’s exploration is both creepy and very unsettling.

Gran lays out small and subtle changes to Amanda’s personality, and as these increase, so does the pace of the book. Small incidents cause concern – a dog in the railway station behaves differently; Amanda finds that there are periods of time she cannot account for.

As Amanda grows more fearful, so there are people in her life who offer innocent explanations for what she is experiencing. Gran’s portrait is of a woman in turmoil who fears she is losing her mind is brilliantly executed and the sense of Amanda’s isolation is heightened in every chapter.

Gran’s writing is dark and comes with a really dark edged and cutting humour, just right to add that additional level of creepiness to this story. The reader does not know how much of what Amanda is telling us is reliable and she begins to behave like a paranoid schizophrenic.

It is in the struggle for control over Amanda’s mind and body that Gran excels, delivering just the right amount of tension and creepiness to weird us out, without ever losing the logical narrative structure of the story.

Verdict: Creepy, chilling and dark, this is a novella in which the reader can do nothing but watch the slow implosion of a woman’s mind as the sense of danger and mental invasion crawls out of every corner and wraps itself around Amanda’s mind. Dark, dangerous and riveting, this story has no happy ending. This book is a one sitting read and goodness it makes an impact! Well done to Faber for reviving it. This one more than stands the test of time.

Come Closer chronicles the story of Amanda, who begins to exhibit unpredictable behaviour that threatens her marriage and livelihood, the blame cast on a demonic presence pervading her body. I’ve always liked possession stories, especially the focus on mental health and that inner struggle – they can leave the reader questioning the reliability of the character, therefore it has the potential to be enjoyable in interpreting whether the supernatural has any presence at all. Told through a first-person narrative, it didn’t take long for events to escalate for Amanda, with small shifts in personality leading to more self-destructive outbursts. I didn’t feel a whole lot of sympathy for her due to a negative first impression, but my attention was captured regardless during her descent, even making the thought of giving in to a demon almost appealing; it was grim, sure, but Gran touched on a kind of freedom that could only come from handing over the reins to someone (or something) else. I mean, doesn’t everyone feel overwhelmed at times?

That said, when it came to the demonic side of things, it was mostly quiet, relying on the uncertainties of the protagonist’s psyche rather than scenes of gore and death. The more explicit aspects were mentioned, such as sexual encounters and the like, but details were left mostly to the imagination due to Amanda’s lack of awareness. It worked for me and encouraged me to try and put the pieces together, with some tension as circumstances worsened. It wasn’t hard to predict where it was going, all told, but I liked it for what it was.

In conclusion: A quick glimpse into the decline of a woman’s life, Come Closer was unsettling, yet the unease lay in the somewhat relatable depiction of possession where unwanted thoughts and urges can spiral out of control. Amanda and Ted had a seemingly picture-perfect marriage, but their dream rapidly crumbled, and I was in for the ride. While I believed it decent, it didn’t blow me away nor was it distinctly memorable, but worth the short amount of time to get through.

* 2.5 stars.

This one was short and spooky, but ultimately felt disappointing. I think the brevity of the story worked against it ultimately, as although the possession plot was interesting and suitably creepy, the lack of build-up and development meant that I didn't really care about the protagonist. For example, I wasn't sure what would constitute 'out of character' behaviour for her as the demon begins to take hold as we didn't spend any time getting to know who she was at the beginning. The plot beats were also a little too predictable, but I give the author points for letting the German Shepherd live.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

When I posted on Twitter that I was going to read Come Closer, there was an avalanche of praise from other established crime authors as to the brilliance of this slim and punchy novella. Now re-issued by Faber, this eye catching little book, opens into a searing tale of psychological disturbance and the unravelling of one woman’s mind as life around her takes on a haunting and sinister hue. With shades of the darkest Shirley Jackson and the psychological intensity of Patricia Highsmith, cut through with a macabre humour, I raced through this one. The theme of possession and looming insanity reveals itself in this beautifully paced, and gradually unfolding horrific little tale, and I, for one could not put this down. As much as I want to reveal all about this one, it would totally spoil any reader discovering this gem for the first time. Instead, I shall simply say that you should seek this one out, settle yourself down for a couple of hours, and embrace the darkness. Highly recommended.

First published in 2003 but no less hard-hitting for it, Come Closer is a short, unsettling novel about a young woman who becomes possessed and it will send chills up your spine from the get-go - my notes read “started this before bed and immediately regretted it”.
Amanda lives in a loft apartment in the city with her husband, Ed, and all seems idyllic - though thoughts niggle at Amanda, late at night, leaving her discomfited and restless. When Amanda starts having strange dreams and hears a tapping around the house, things escalate considerably. The plot kicks into gear very quickly, as does the claustrophobic atmosphere Gran suffuses the writing with - as we walk the city streets with Amanda we feel the buildings closing in around us. Nowhere left to run.
I associate horror with the past - crumbling gothic houses, haunted bogs in isolated patches of the Irish west. But Come Closer’s modern setting heightens the terror imbued in Gran’s writing. It's an anonymous but easily-pictured metropolis in America, and as things become more unreal for Amanda, the realness of the city prevents things from spinning away from us.
Gran’s writing style is sparse, edging on stream-of-consciousness as we follow Amanda’s crumbling (un)reality, and she brings things to an impressive crescendo in the final few pages. I genuinely gasped at the ending - a rarity for me - and the last lines of the book will haunt me for the foreseeable. A tightly written, meticulous, terrifying little novel that’s made to be gobbled up in one sitting.