Imaginary Friends (Chbosky) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Twenty years after his smash hit novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky returns… [with] an ambitious tale narrated through multiple perspectives, mashing together horror, fairy tales and the (rewritten) Bible.… But Chbosky's true skill is in turning a book of absolute horrors—both fantastical and real—into an uplifting yarn. [This is] a book about so much—fate, destiny, redemption, power.… Chbosky has his eye firmly on humanity.
New York Times Book Review


Imaginary Friend is an all-out, not-for-the-fainthearted horror novel, one of the most effective and ambitious of recent years.… Perhaps its most impressive aspect is the confidence with which Chbosky deploys the more fantastical elements of his complex narrative.… A very human story with universal implications.
Washington Post


Chbosky's horror writing stands on its own… a gleeful meditation.… [T]he nine years Chbosky reportedly spent writing the book shows in his well-crafted scares, snappy pacing and finely turned plot. Imaginary Friend is well worth the time for those who dare.
Time


An epic work of horror.… Ambitious and compulsively readable… a Grand Guignol exploration of what it means to have faith, even in the face of absolute hopelessness.… His willingness to pursue and present answers to such meaningful queries is what elevates Imaginary Friend from a more than competent attempt at the horror genre to a formidable work…. Imaginary Friend is a book that far outstrips the expectations of his chosen genre.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


[Y]ou won't want to miss this spooky, surreal thriller.… You'll feel locked in the battle between good and evil as Kate and Christopher fight for their lives.
Good Housekeeping


[A] tale of good vs. evil that never gels.… Chbosky brings deep humanity to his characters and creates genuinely unsettling tableaux,… but… repetition extends the narrative while diminishing its impact.… This doorstopper is long on words but short on execution.
Publishers Weekly


This doorstopper literary horror novel is thematically rich and feels cinematic.… [T]he last third of the book feels overly drawn out… a bit long-winded but still impressive in scope and truly scary.
Library Journal


A creepy horror yarn that would do Stephen King proud.… The reader will want to be sure that no one is hiding behind the chair…. That's the nature of a good scary story—and this one is excellent. A pleasing book for those who like to scare themselves silly.
Kirkus Reviews