HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Boy Who Could See Demons by Carolyn…
Loading...

The Boy Who Could See Demons (original 2012; edition 2012)

by Carolyn Jess-Cooke

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
24438109,617 (3.74)15
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: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 fro
… (more)
Member:Jean.Walker
Title:The Boy Who Could See Demons
Authors:Carolyn Jess-Cooke
Info:Piatkus/Little Brown, Paperback, 400 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

Work Information

The Boy Who Could See Demons: A Novel by Carolyn Jess-Cooke (2012)

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 15 mentions

English (36)  Dutch (1)  German (1)  All languages (38)
Showing 1-5 of 36 (next | show all)
what ( )
  ninagl | Jan 7, 2023 |
So I thought this book had been recommended to me (weird mix-up), so I came into this very excited. It's dark! It's weird! It's twisty! ...And then I started reading it and I was incredibly let down. I was honestly upset I went to all the trouble of requesting it through interlibrary loan (trust me, a process) only to be so let down.

It's so cliché - from the "innocent troubled little boy" to the "adult with a troubled past who sees a chance for a do-over" to that RIDICULOUS "it was all in her head!" ending. And, honestly, Anya talking to Michael about "patient A" who EVERYONE even Anya knows is herself, is painful. She's been deep in the depths of delusion for months and then is willing to snap out of it and talk about it objectively? You couldn't come up with another way to wrap things up, Jess-Cooke? We couldn't have Michael's notes typed up?

Initially I was let down about Alex's possession as well - it seemed very clear to me (which I think was Jess-Cooke's intention - she spells everything out for the reader and makes the connections between his traumas and his demons apparent [which doesn't seem like good psychiatry to me but what do I know](I also have issues with the theory that the parent's/nation/s trauma passes itself down to their children, but I know that's a legitimate theory and incurs debate everywhere, so.)). But, to my happy surprise, I found myself question this "obvious" conclusion near the end when Ruen writes the music and appears to Anya. And then that ending came and ruined it. ( )
  Elna_McIntosh | Sep 29, 2021 |
3.75 stars. In retrospect, this book had a sort of Rod Serling creepiness. A poor 10-year old boy has been minding his suicidal mother since his father's disappearance and seeing a demon, in various manifestations, since he was five. Anya, a woman psychiatrist is called in by the social worker to help treat the boy. She is battling her own demons, the accidental death of her own daughter, who suffered from schizophrenia. Mysteries abound in Belfast, great ending. ( )
  skipstern | Jul 11, 2021 |
I received this book from NetGalley and holy guacamole Batman, what a book! I love a good psych thriller and this book did not disappoint. Set in Ireland, this book follows a child psychiatrist as she deals with one of the most difficult cases of her career while dealing with an important event from her personal life. I appreciated that the book touched on child onset schizophrenia and the difficulties mental health professionals experience while attempting to diagnose and treat their patient. I devoured this book in one day and highly recommend others pick it up. ( )
  Stacie-C | May 8, 2021 |
I am not quite sure about this book. To me, the premise of a troubled 10 year old, with quite a traumatic life, who is able to see “demons” painted such a good picture.
I was going in with the idea that the demons were figurative and that it would be a case of mental health, be it schizophrenia or whatever; but from the beginning I could see that it wasn’t quite that. The author created this actual demonic presence with actions and knowledge that could not be proved otherwise than with conceding that Ruen was an actual demon.
Then, somewhere towards the very rushed, and not quite tidily finished ending, the author tries to chuck it all to mental health and figurative demons, leaving quite a lot of unfinished threads hanging loose.
That, to me, was quite disappointing. Really put me off. The whole build up was amazing; but the last part of the book was very meh and anticlimactic.
But hey, that is just me. If you want to read a heartbreaking story of a 10 year old scarred and marked in life by the reckless and selfish actions of his parents, then by all means go ahead and grab this one. Just know that there is a demon there and we can’t quite explain what it is, what it does, how it knows certain things and how it can manifest to more than one person. Enjoy the strange ride! ( )
  AleAleta | Feb 8, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 36 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Carolyn Jess-Cookeprimary authorall editionscalculated
Allen, VictoriaJacket design, illustrations, and letteringsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

Belongs to Publisher Series

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Important places
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince us all that he does not exist.
--Charles Baudelaire
Dedication
FOR PHOENIX
First words
People look at me funny when I tell them I have a demon.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: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 fro

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

LibraryThing Early Reviewers Alum

Carolyn Jess-Cooke's book The Boy Who Could See Demons was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.74)
0.5
1 2
1.5
2 4
2.5 2
3 17
3.5 3
4 35
4.5 4
5 13

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 204,453,941 books! | Top bar: Always visible