“Come Closer” is a lean, creepy, horror classic

We were thrilled when we recently got to visit Soho Press' offices in Manhattan for the splashy launch of Hell's Hundred, Soho Press' new, horror-centric imprint. One of their major new titles this year is a 20th anniversary reissue of Sara Gran's eerie 2003 novella "Come Closer."

Described by Kirkus at the time as a novella in which "The Yellow Wallpaper meets Rosemary’s Baby," "Come Closer" introduces readers to Amanda, an ambitious architect in an unnamed big city with tons of similarities to New York.

On paper, Amanda has everything going for her. She has an equally ambitious husband, who —- while a bit stodgy — seems to be a relatively good match. Amanda also has friends and plans and dreams of the future. In short, everything seems to be going really well. 

That all changes when little things start to go awry. A memo for her boss is replaced with profane and inappropriate messages. A weird tapping noise in her trendy loft seems to interrupt everything she does. And weirdest of all in the beginning, a mix up leads the delivery man to drop off a package that, instead of containing a book on architecture, brings Amanda a book on how to figure out if you are possessed by a demon (and what to do if so).

That book turns out to be much more handy than anything Amanda imagined. As things and Amanda's behavior itself get weirder, she begins to wonder if she really is possessed and hopes she can figure out what to do next before it is too late.

We picked up copies of Come Closer at Soho Press' incredible gathering earlier this spring. You can order your own at our Bookshop storefront here.

Lakshmi: What did you think? I definitely saw “The Yellow Wallpaper” parallels!

For those who are unfamiliar or have forgotten, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman about a woman with a seemingly perfect life who slowly begins to unravel emotionally after the birth of her child.

Asha: I haven’t read “The Yellow Wallpaper”’ (though I’ve heard of it.) Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve read any horror.

I liked that this book just dove right in. I expected a little set-up before the memo to her boss, but nope, just thrown in!

Lakshmi: Yes! The moment we meet her, she's in a huge mess because a vile message ended up on her boss's desk. And Amanda has no idea how it got there —  OR DOES SHE? This book is very, very short-- but Gran packs a lot in there!

Asha: It’s a very lean book, for sure.

Lakshmi: I don't read much horror myself, but I was very intrigued by this book because it's apparently considered a modern day hallmark of the genre

Asha: You can see why! It has all the elements. And this book nicely walks the fine line between “is this demon possession, or is the main character going through psychosis”?

There are definitely things about Amanda’s experience that aren’t just in her head: her husband also hears the tapping in their loft, for instance

Lakshmi: But then the tapping could be a pipe or something? (We learn that the loft unit they live in is a fixer upper, and we know that city apartment buildings are often 70+ years old, etc)

So the tapping could have been an innocuous trigger for illness?

Asha: Sure, but the tapping does move depending on what room they’re in! But you’re right, it could be innocuous.

Lakshmi I kept wondering if she is ill or not with every page!

Asha: I actually just took it for granted that she was possessed! Until I read some reviews.

Lakshmi: Well, one thing I was really struck by was that there were constant little throwaway lines throughout the book that could be innocent– or not.

For example, Amanda doesn't have a current psychologist because hers had died suddenly.

Is that a throwaway like — OR A CLUE?

Amanda is an orphan because her father and stepmother had died while on holiday while she was in college. Was that a random tragedy — OR A CLUE?

I like how all of these big details were presented as innocent facts. It added to the creepy, unreliable narrator factor.

Asha: And the psychological impact of them wasn’t explored! They were just matter of fact. Lakshmi: Yes, they were just short sentences and then we move on

Asha: Or the fact that her husband Ed keeps coming home late. Normally, I’d expect the narrator to start questioning if he was having an affair, but Amanda just gets angry,

Lakshmi: She's the definition of a hair trigger temper

Asha: One could also start to wonder whether living with Ed was a trigger for her, because he would drive me up the wall

Lakshmi: Yes, did she ever LIKE him? She definitely freezes him out constantly; she doesn't like his friends; she doesn't trust anyone in their circle…so the claustrophobia of the book is also very well done

Asha: I think she liked that he seemed to know exactly what he wanted when they met. And he was reliable. But there are also downsides to someone who seems so sure of themselves, because his certainty also involves rigidity

Lakshmi: Yes, especially since -- as I mentioned early -- she was an orphan, so having a steady anchor was certainly appealing.

Asha: But at the same time, he seems to roll with the changes in her - other than them fighting of course. So maybe she’s not that reliable of a narrator in terms of her personality

Lakshmi: But we need to talk about THE BOOK.

Asha: Ah yes, THE BOOK

Lakshmi: So as we noted in the intro, she receives a book in the mail by mistake (or is it?). It is a detailed examination of how anyone can tell they are possessed by a demon, and notes that the reader MUST consult with a "spiritual counselor" if they score over a certain level.

The quiz is reprinted throughout the book as her score gets higher and higher and it is so funny

On the first page there was a little quiz:

Are YOU Possessed by a Demon?

1. I hear strange noises in my home, especially at night, which family members tell me only occur when I am present.

2. I have new activities and pastimes that seem “out of character,” and I do things that I did not intend and do not understand.

3. I’m short and ill-tempered with my friends and loved ones.

4. I can understand languages I’ve never studied, and have the ability to know things I couldn’t know through ordinary means.

5. I have blackouts not caused by drugs, alcohol, or a pre-existing health condition.

6. I have unusual new thoughts, or hear voices in my head.

7. I’ve had visions or dreams of personalities who may be demons.

8. A psychic, minister, or other spiritualist has told me I’m possessed.

9. I have urges to hurt or kill animals and other people.

10. I have hurt or killed animals or people.

On the next page was an analysis of the quiz results. I had scored a four out of ten; there was the noise in our apartment, I had started smoking again, I had been fighting with Ed, and I had been having strange dreams.

0-3: You are probably not possessed. See a doctor or mental health professional for an evaluation.

3-6: You may be haunted, or in the early stages of possession. Seek a spiritual counselor for assistance.

6-10: You are possessed. Consult with your spiritual counselor immediately. You may be a threat to the safety of yourself and your family.

Asha: I loved that plot device

Lakshmi: (That quote of the quiz is courtesy of this old review by a writer who read the 10th anniversary reissue. It's a credit to the book and its popularity that every major anniversary gets a reissue!.)

Asha: We should also note that she scores a 4 right off the bat the first time she takes the “Are You Possessed” quiz. 

Lakshmi: Yes, but since she has had a lot of tragedy in her life (She experienced orphanhood-- her mother also died when she was very small) — it makes sense that she just might not be mentally well. So maybe that first score was a fluke? Afterall, a score of 4 only indicates that "You MAY be haunted”

BUT THEN THE READER SEES THAT HER SCORE KEEPS GOING UP

Asha: That’s when she should have gone to a spiritual advisor. But she waits until she scores a 7, at which point, it’s probably too late

Lakshmi: I LOVED THE SPIRITUAL ADVISOR. We never learn her background, but did you get the sense she was Romani. I was imagining a Romani woman who also does fortune telling?

Asha: I didn’t necessarily think Romani…But now that you say that, it’s probably what she was going for.

Lakshmi: It's so funny because when Amanda rings the bell, the healer's son (or whoever) goes, "There's a white lady here" and it just reminded me of ppl in New York in storefronts -- many of those people are Romani.

But both the scenes with the healer are so good! She immediately gives Amanda this special wash (to cleanse away the demon). I won't spoil what happens, but Amanda is not good at directions!

Asha: Well, is she not good at directions, or does she just not actually want to follow directions

That’s the question!

Lakshmi: We’re studiously avoiding spoilers here, so we will just say that the book (as she begins to explore if she might be possessed) also teaches her about different kinds of demons

and that's when things REALLY get weird

all of my favorite scenes are spoilers

but I did like a certain visit to purchase something.

(Editor’s note: Here, Lakshmi did tell Asha the scene she liked in more detail, but we are not going to be more specific because potential readers deserve to marvel at it as it unfolds.)

Asha: Yeah, that was well written

Lakshmi: I literally gasped at the twist at the end of that chapter. So, so good

Asha: One quibble I did have with the book however was that as the story went on, I kept wondering how Amanda kept going about the city undetected.

Lakshmi: Well, I was telling a friend about this book and I noted that even though it's set just 20 years ago, I think the fact that cell phones weren't ubiquitous made a big difference.

Ed the husband, for example, is so stodgy he doesn't have a phone. So he's "late" all the time and she has no idea what's happening.

Asha: Yes! He doesn’t “want to be tracked,” so no one has convinced him to get a phone. (To be fair, mobile phones were still relatively new in the early 2000s.)

Lakshmi: Amanda too is pretty alone most of the time. She never calls anyone. This book also made me think of how much harder it is to write mystery/thriller since everyone has a supercomputer in their pocket these days.

Asha: And we’re all so connected all the time.

(I’m thinking about my million group texts/chats).

Lakshmi: We’re TOO connected, you could say.

Asha: You could indeed. OK, we have to go, but do you have a final thought?

Lakshmi: I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this one, but I am glad I read it

Asha: Same!

Lakshmi: It's soooo creepy — and I still don't know if she's possessed or ill!!! That's one of the reasons reading the critical essays on this book was so interesting. It’s a good look at how an author's intention vs reader's interpretation is often so varied

Asha: Agreed.

Each month, we’re sharing our current list of pop culture favs with readers! These are a few of our (current) favorite things!

What we are watching: 

Asha: “Star Trek Discovery” is back for it’s final season, and even though I have a lot of criticisms about the show, I still have to see how it ends. Which also means I’m revisiting old episodes from previous series that have some sort of tie-in.

Lakshmi: May is AAPI Heritage Month, which means there are tons of amazing documentaries and films on tv and streaming right now. I’m going to take a moment to spotlight a film that will soon be airing on PBS (and streaming on PBS Passport and World Channel) that I’ve been hearing about and writing about for years.

I first heard about the documentary “In Search of Bengali Harlem” when it was first announced that Vivek Bald and actor Alaudin Ullah would be making a documentary based on Bald’s book Bengali Harlem.” “In Search of Bengali Harlem” details the history of Harlem’s Bengali community, which stretches back to at least the 1920s. The film makes its television premiere on PBS on May 9, 2024 at 8pm/7C.

What we are reading: 

Asha: I’ve decided to read all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries in the order they were published! I’m currently on the short story collection “Poirot Investigates”

Lakshmi: Ooh, I might have to copy you later this summer. For now, I’m reading the Indian author and film director Sachin Kundalkar’s 2013 novel “Cobalt Blue.” Originally in Marathi, it has been translated into English by Kundalkar’s fellow Indian novelist Jerry Pinto. It’s a fantastic and evocative novel about a brother and sister whose world turns upside down after they both fall in love with an artist boarding in their home. (Don’t you all want to read it too now? Our Bookshop link is here!)

What we are listening to: 

Asha: For me, this is more “what I’m playing”...I’m trying to resolve my beef with Bach, and going back to his compositions…because at some point I’m going to have to assign one to my students. 

Lakshmi: As many of you have probably guessed, I’ve listened to the “The Tortured Poets Department” every day for several weeks now. If that’s not your thing (which is understandable, to be honest), I started listening to Yuja Wang’s newly-released “The Vienna Recital” this week and I absolutely love it.