The Boy Who Could See Demons by: Carolyn Jess-Cooke

Genre: Contemporary 

Published: May 10, 2012 by: Little Brown 

Pages: 400 

Rating: 5/5 stars 

CW: schizophrenia, hallucinations, self-harm, suicide attempts 

Alex Connolly is a ten year old boy with a love for musical theatre and a deep loyalty to his single mother. He also has schizophrenia. After explaining to doctors that a demon named Ruen prompts him to do bad things, Alex is put into the care of child psychiatrist Anya. Anya has a special connection to Alex due to her own experiences raising a child with schizophrenia. However, Anya struggles to get Alex the help that he needs due to ongoing pressures from the mental health hospital in which Alex is admitted to, and her own memories of her daughter that she finds difficult to shake. As Anya learns more about Alex, she begins to question her own closeness to the case and whether or not she can help Alex while dealing with her own demons. 

This book is labelled as fantasy/horror on Goodreads, which I very much disagreed with. There is nothing fantastical in the literal sense in this book. This book shows a realistic depiction of schizophrenia and psychosis. Therefore, labelling the book as horror and fantasy I think stereotypes people with these experiences as villains, and I don't like that one bit. I did think that this book portrayed an interesting and realistic viewpoint of childhood schizophrenia. While Jess-Cooke notes in her author's note that she does not suffer with the disease, she cited every source and interview she used to consult on the writing of this book. I really did find myself empathetic for the characters and very much engaged with the plot. That being said, I haven't been able to find any own voices reviews of the book, so I suppose there are still some things remaining to be seen in terms of its content. 

The two main characters are Alex and Anya, and the book switches from their perspectives. All of Alex's chapters begin with the joke, as he has a very vivid imagination and a bit of a jokey personality. I always find it interesting to read a book from the perspective of a child, as I think the ways that authors take on the voice of the children can either make or break the book. In this case, I thought Jess-Cooke did a good job at capturing the voice of a ten year old, and also not making his mental illness his entire personality. Alex (despite having such vivid and visceral hallucinations), is not violent by nature. This distinction is extremely important. He loves to act, he loves his mother, and he is respectful and polite to all of the adults around him. He is not a villain. I think the author did a good job at making Alex not a stereotyped "creepy" kid. 

Anya was also a well-written character. She has some of her own trauma due to reliving her daughter's hallucinations through her treatment of Alex. That being said, she is a very good mentor to Alex and really advocates for him throughout the text even when others within the hospital choose to stereotype Alex or get in the way of his treatment. Watching Anya develop through the book as she begins to learn more about herself through Alex really allowed me to see how unique of a field childhood psychiatry can be. One must be extremely patient and sensitive throughout the entire process, and I overall though Anya had a great bedside manner. 

The book is definitely more character driven than world driven. However, an integral part of the text is that it takes place during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. This event does shape Alex's hallucinations and his relationships with the people around him. I thought this setting helped to drive the characters as I could see how life changing it could be for a child to witness such violence at a pivotal age. I don't know too much about The Troubles so of course I also learned more along the way as well. 

Overall, I loved this book. It is heavy, with a lot of difficult subject matter. So do take care of yourself while reading. There is a plot twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but I thought it was handled in a tasteful and respectful manner. If anyone can locate some own voices reviews before reading, I'm sure that'd be even more helpful. For now I will say that this book was enjoyable and a very important read. 

Have you read The Boy Who Could See Demons? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess