I wasn’t expecting this from the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. At 700+ pages, it tested me, but the story’s morality and visceral battles really kept me going.
It starts with a simple question: What if a lonely boy befriends a cloud and follows it everywhere?
Seven-year-old Christopher and his mother, Kate, move to the small town of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania, hoping for a fresh start, but Christopher then gets lost in the woods for six days. He’s found but changed – smart beyond his grade level and able to hear the voice of the Nice Man. Together, they build a treehouse.
But the Nice Man isn’t, and the treehouse isn’t the innocent plaything it should be.
This loneliness and willingness to cling to anything really drove the horror for me. It becomes very clear Christopher is being manipulated, but his (and his Mother’s) world is such a struggle that when terrible things come, I could not help but think, ‘aw, well, at least he has a friend.’ And in a crazy way, I found myself semi-rooting for the Nice Man.
Imaginary Friend evolves into cosmic psychological terror with a religious twist reminiscent of TV’s Lost. Stephen King’s It and The Stand come to mind for novels.
Chbosky examines good and evil, belief, childhood trauma, and the power of imagination to reshape reality.
Is Christopher’s voice a guardian or a manipulator? Is his imagination fully corrupted, or does innocence remain?
The relationship between Christopher and his mother is super emotional, too. They’ve escaped abuse, and because of this, their bond is heavy, so when Kate begins to realize she’s losing her son, the heartache feels so sad.
The climax goes really big. Some might find it audacious, while others might find it overwritten, where the subgenres of Psychological and Cosmic Horror perhaps mix too much, and to some might come off as preachy. Chbosky does dive into Christian imagery.
Imaginary Friend felt genuinely dark, not a jump-scare horror, but one that stayed with me throughout. It was both uncomfortable and comforting.
Have you read Imaginary Friend? What did you think? Comment below.
You can reserve it in the BCCLS system here, or access the audiobook on Libby.
Horror fan and interested in the Hoboken Library’s Horror/Thriller Book Club? Please email reference@hobokenlibrary.org, or register for our next meeting by searching under Events on our website.
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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant
Tags: horror, Stephen Chbosky
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 