Emily is Smiling

Demon: A Memoir is a startling tale that left me in a stunned daze long after I finished the last page.  Tosca Lee is an absolutely brilliant writer and an excellent wordsmith.  She knows how to paint a picture onto a page with a few words placed beautifully together.  Demon: A Memoir left me chilled, but most importantly, it left me thinking.

Summary-
Recently divorced and mired in a meaningless existence, Clay drifts from his drab apartment to his equally lusterless job as an editor for a small Boston press- until the night Lucian finds him and everything changes with the simple words, "I'm going to tell you my story, and you're going to write it down and publish it."  What begins as a mystery soon spirals into chaotic obsession as Clay struggles to piece together Lucian's dark tale of love, ambition, and grace- only to discover that the demon's story has become his own.  And then only one thing matters: learning how the story ends.

What I Liked-
I loved the ideas that Lee placed in my mind with each word that Lucian spoke.  I never thought I would actually see where demons were coming from as haters of humans, but I now do.  One of my favorite scenes in the novel involved Lucian following Clay into a church.  When he asked if they could leave, Clay asked if the cross was bothering Lucian.  Lucian replied that the cross wasn't bothering him... but the prayers were.  Ouch.

What I Didn't Like-
To be honest, there wasn't much that I didn't like about this book.

I Recommend This For-
This would definitely be a PG-13 book at the least, because of the mere theme of the book.  Demons and spiritual warfare can be confusing and frightening to anyone, let alone a child.  I would recommend this book for all Christians in their mid-teens through adulthood.  If you like your faith and beliefs to be challenged and piqued, Demon: A Memoir is the book for you.

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Tosca Lee's first novel could be compared to authors such as Ted Dekker, Frank Peretti, and Randy Alcorn, yet her work can easily stand on its own.  I can already see Lee emerging as a successful Christian author in the near future.

Demon: A Memoir is literally spine-tingling and shocking from the first page to the last... especially the last, hint-hint.  The ending literally had me floored.  This novel is one of my new favorite books, an I plan to keep it on my bookshelf for years to come.