4.5/5*

When you review as many books as I, it is important to give coverage to small or independent presses and authors who struggle to attract press. These writers are the life blood of the genre, often lurking in these shadows, shouting to be noticed, producing gems traditional publishers would not touch. S.H. Mansouri’s unique Scream Like a Prayer is such a work, rough around the edges, but once it finds its stride is strangely captivating. It is also blessed with an exceptionally cool quote from Stephen Graham Jones “A perfect capsule of growing up, or trying to, in 1985. Except this 1985 is seeping blood, and blood, and more blood.”

Coming in at a much too long 405 pages is the major weakness of Scream Like a Prayer and I wonder how it might have played out if viciously edited to a lean, mean, significantly less self-indulgent, 300 pages? Impatient readers will give up long before the 100 page mark, it is tricky to follow, jumpy and takes a while for the main thrust of the story to rise from the domestics of the seemingly normal family it focusses upon, before morphing into something else entirely. Why did I not choose to throw in the towel? That is a very good question, I remained intrigued by the shrouded story and was determined to figure out what in hell was going on. Long yes, boring, absolutely not.

I initially picked up Scream Like a Prayer as I thought it concerned the Satanic Panic phenomenon, prominent in America in the eighties. Set in 1985, this promised to be ‘Satanic Panic Prime Time’, but again, it is and it isn’t. The fear of the Devil, attending Christian school, bullying, praying before bed or in wardrobes, or a kid knocking on doors and giving out Christian tracts are all part of the story, but they are only fractions of a much larger and stranger package.

Scream Like a Prayer has an outstanding opening hook which S.H. Mansouri then decides to edge away from. This sequence has enough whack to build an entire Satanic Panic narrative around, but alternatively the story nudges elsewhere. When eleven-year-old Samuel McCammon writes five words on the classroom blackboard, he believes himself responsible for killing his sixth-grade teacher who drops dead. Even if the coroner says it was a natural death, he starts to wonder if something is seriously wrong with him, as he has weird visions and strange, unsettling experiences. Whilst there is nothing physically wrong with Sammy, he sees recurring flashes of the demon he believes he once saw in his mother's bedroom mirror.

Much of the story concerns Sammy’s interactions with his family, who on the whole appear fairly to be normal. He mainly hangs out with his mum, and when his dad is not working spends most of his time drinking and watching television. We spent a fair bit of time with the family, with startling events unfolding slowly, with Sammy’s mature and reflective narrative teasing the reader in what develops into a warped coming of age story.

Scream Like a Prayer should be applauded for repeatedly refusing to pay by the rules, just when you think it is developing into an exorcism type story, it throws a spanner in the works. There were also a number of things which did not make sense, but when reaching the outstanding ending it all clicks into place. The ending remains one of the major highlights, the final hundred pages, reveals, and the big finish were of the highest order. There are no copouts here.

The novel is also peppered with quirky support characters, sleazy side stories, sly swipes at religion without getting heavy handed and some outstanding imagery. I will never forget young Sammy going trick or treating with his gimp mask on promising that Jesus saves. Some images you just cannot unsee.

The blurb namechecks (all fair comparisons) Scream Like a Prayer against three other books I have previously read, Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House, Stephen Chbosky’s Imaginary Friend and Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend's Exorcism. All three have had a lot of hype but I am going to swing the other way and boldly state that Scream Like a Prayer trumps all three without even breaking sweat but, sadly, will probably pick up a fraction of the press coverage it deserves.

Thank you #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC read!

## My Honest Review of *Scream Like A Prayer*

This book was a true test of literary patience, demanding well over one hundred pages before the narrative truly began to coalesce and capture my full attention. However, once the story found its stride, it accelerated into a compelling and deeply engaging read. I am genuinely pleased that I persevered, as the initial slow burn ultimately yielded a highly rewarding experience.

*Scream Like A Prayer* turned out to be more than just a good book; it is a genuinely great read that I will be enthusiastically recommending to both friends and family. The payoff for the dedicated reader is substantial, making it a worthy addition to any bookshelf and a memorable journey that I am now eager to share with others.

3.5 stars rounded up

For the first half of the book, I’ll admit I felt completely untethered. I couldn’t quite grasp where the story was heading or what all the pieces were building toward. The narrative felt intentionally disorienting, and at times I wondered if I was missing something. But then everything snapped into focus, and when it did, it hit hard. What initially felt fragmented revealed itself to be carefully constructed, and the payoff was powerful.

The story strongly reminded me of the film Frailty (2001), especially in the way it blurs the line between religious abuse and genuine religious phenomena. Is what’s happening divine? Delusional? Manipulative? That tension drives the novel and creates a constant undercurrent of dread. Mansouri never makes it easy for the reader, and that ambiguity is where the book truly shines.


This isn’t a straightforward narrative, and it requires patience. But if you stick with it, the emotional and thematic payoff is absolutely worth it. A haunting exploration of faith, fear, and the damage that can be done in the name of belief.

Many thanks to NetGalley, S.H. Mansouri, and Atreyu Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

It is refreshing to read a story that isn’t just rushing me through the plot and to the ending. I didn’t expect to read the gradual loss of childhood innocence in a horror book with demons. It makes coming to term with those demons, however, a very human experience.
I enjoyed the setting as a fellow Angelino and love seeing what it was like in the 80’s. Will be recommending to those that love an immersive story.

Going into this book, I had absolutely no expectations because I had never read anything from this author before. The cover art was well done, and the synopsis sounded very interesting, and a blurb by Stephen Graham Jones on your cover is all I need to see to continue.

The profundity of the way this book hit me… the number of things I highlighted in it in the first five to six chapters alone. The prose is beautiful and haunting, and I don’t know how else to describe it. Coming from a broken home, this book really hit me in a place I wasn’t fully expecting. I’d like to list a couple of my favorite quotes: “I learned to hide what hurts from watching you,” made me cry. I felt that so deeply.

“I mean, if you consider booze a false idol or whatever, then Dad was only a few bottles shy of building a glass version of a golden calf in front of the tube.”

I know that this book won’t hit everyone the same way, but man, am I glad that I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of a book that gave me chills and pulled some profound emotion out of me. I will be following this author from now on and eagerly awaiting any future work.