The Tapping Begins

Amanda, an architect, lives with her husband Ed in a renovated loft. Their peaceful life is interrupted by mysterious tapping sounds that seem to follow Amanda around the apartment. The noise is persistent, always just out of reach, and only occurs when Amanda is present. This subtle but unnerving disturbance marks the beginning of a series of inexplicable events, setting the tone for the gradual unraveling of Amanda's sense of reality and control over her own life.

Domestic Unease

As the tapping continues, Amanda and Ed's relationship begins to fray. Small arguments escalate, and Amanda finds herself increasingly irritable and disconnected. The couple's routines, once comforting, become sources of friction. Amanda's sense of self starts to slip, and she resumes old habits like smoking, which further strains her marriage. The domestic sphere, once a sanctuary, becomes a battleground for Amanda's internal and external conflicts.

Dreams of Naamah

Amanda dreams of a beautiful, dark-haired woman named Naamah, who emerges from a crimson sea. The dreams are vivid and intimate, filled with affection and a sense of belonging. Naamah asks to stay with Amanda, and Amanda, feeling a deep connection, agrees. These dreams blur the line between comfort and threat, foreshadowing the deeper intrusion of Naamah into Amanda's waking life.

Childhood Shadows Return

Amanda recalls her childhood imaginary friend, Pansy, who provided comfort after her mother's death. A memory surfaces of seeing Pansy—now resembling Naamah—in real life as a child, an event she had buried as impossible. This connection between her childhood coping mechanisms and her current experiences suggests that Amanda's vulnerability to possession is rooted in early loss and loneliness.

The Quiz and the Noise

Amanda accidentally receives a book on demon possession and takes a quiz inside, scoring high enough to be concerned. The book describes early signs of possession—strange noises, personality changes, and dreams of demons—all of which Amanda is experiencing. The tapping in the apartment ceases after a particularly intense dream of Naamah, hinting that the entity has moved from the periphery to the center of Amanda's life.

Slipping Control

Amanda's behavior grows increasingly erratic. She begins shoplifting, drinking, and engaging in impulsive, self-destructive acts. She experiences blackouts and finds herself in situations she cannot remember entering. The boundary between Amanda's will and Naamah's influence becomes porous, and Amanda's sense of guilt and confusion intensifies as she realizes she is losing control over her actions.

The Red Doorknob

Amanda steals a striking red glass doorknob from a client's house and installs it in her own bathroom. The doorknob becomes a symbol of her growing compulsion and the seductive allure of transgression. Her reflection in the car window, distorted and unfamiliar, signals her ongoing transformation under Naamah's influence.

Psychic Warnings

Amanda consults Sister Maria, a psychic, who immediately recognizes the presence of a powerful, evil entity attached to Amanda. Maria prescribes a ritual cleansing, warning Amanda never to give in to the demon. Amanda's attempts at spiritual defense are half-hearted and ineffective, and the demon's hold only strengthens, as evidenced by the German shepherd that once befriended Amanda now attacking her.

The Demon's Games

Amanda's psychic abilities intensify, allowing her to see into the lives and emotions of others with a touch. She experiences blackouts during which she may commit acts of violence, including possibly killing a newsstand owner. The demon's influence manifests in Amanda's growing aggression, sexual promiscuity, and disregard for social norms.

Blackouts and Violence

Amanda's blackouts become more frequent and severe. She loses hours, then days, and her actions during these periods become increasingly dangerous. She attacks her husband with a cigarette, nearly drowns a child at the beach, and ultimately murders a coworker. Amanda's attempts to seek psychiatric help are thwarted by Naamah, who manipulates therapists and blocks Amanda's efforts to communicate her plight.

The Beach House Incident

At a friend's beach house, Amanda nearly drowns a little girl, an act she experiences as both perpetrator and bystander. The incident is followed by a vision of Naamah's name written in the sky, and Amanda's subsequent research reveals Naamah's mythological origins as a demoness associated with seduction, blood, and destruction. Amanda realizes the full extent of her possession but feels powerless to resist.

The Encyclopedia of Demons

Amanda's attempts to learn about and fight Naamah are systematically sabotaged. Books on possession disappear or are destroyed, and Amanda is unable to enter churches or seek help. Her isolation deepens, and she becomes convinced that the battle is hers alone, with no hope of outside intervention.

Failed Exorcisms

Amanda undergoes a "depossession" ritual at the Ray of Hope Fellowship, but the process is a farce. Naamah mocks the attempt, and Amanda emerges more deeply possessed than before. Spiritual and psychological avenues for help are closed off, and Amanda's sense of self is nearly obliterated.

Losing Ed

Ed, unable to cope with Amanda's transformation and infidelity, leaves her. Amanda is devastated but unable to express her true feelings or ask for help, as Naamah controls her speech and actions. The loss of Ed marks the final severing of Amanda's ties to her former life and identity.

The Final Possession

With Ed gone, Amanda's blackouts become total. She loses all sense of time and self, existing only in brief flashes of consciousness. Naamah uses Amanda's body for her own pleasure and destruction, leaving Amanda a helpless observer, trapped within her own mind.

Naamah's Victory

The narrative shifts to Naamah's voice, who explains her origins and her method of possession. She claims Amanda was always willing, that all she needed was an invitation. Amanda, now fully possessed, is institutionalized after committing murder. Naamah thrives in the chaos, while Amanda's last wish is simply to be loved and never left alone—a wish Naamah fulfills in her own twisted way.

Characters

Amanda

Amanda is a competent, creative architect whose life is upended by a slow, insidious possession. Her psychological profile is marked by early loss, loneliness, and a longing for stability, which she finds in her marriage to Ed. As Naamah's influence grows, Amanda's sense of agency and morality erode. She becomes increasingly alienated from her own actions, experiencing blackouts, compulsions, and violent urges. Amanda's struggle is both supernatural and deeply psychological—a battle between her desire for love and order and the chaos that Naamah brings. Her arc is a tragic descent from self-assured professional to a hollow vessel for the demon's will.

Ed

Ed is Amanda's husband, a reliable and orderly man who provides the structure Amanda craves. His rigidity and emotional limitations, however, make him ill-equipped to recognize or address Amanda's crisis. As Amanda changes, Ed becomes frustrated, then distant, and ultimately leaves her. His inability to see beyond the rational and his preference for routine render him powerless in the face of Amanda's supernatural affliction. Ed's departure is both a personal and symbolic loss for Amanda, representing the collapse of her last anchor to normalcy.

Naamah

Naamah is the entity that possesses Amanda, appearing first in dreams and then taking over her body and mind. She is ancient, cunning, and manipulative, feeding on Amanda's desires and weaknesses. Naamah's psychological profile is that of a predator—she exploits Amanda's longing for love and excitement, offering pleasure and power in exchange for control. Her ultimate goal is domination, and she delights in Amanda's suffering and submission. Naamah's victory is total, as she erases Amanda's identity and claims her life.

Sister Maria

Sister Maria is a psychic who immediately recognizes the danger Amanda is in. She offers practical advice and spiritual remedies, but is ultimately powerless against Naamah's strength. Maria's refusal to help Amanda a second time underscores the hopelessness of Amanda's situation and the limits of spiritual intervention in the face of true evil.

James Cronin

James is Amanda's rival at work, whose ambition and antagonism make him a target for Naamah's violence. His murder at Amanda's hands marks a point of no return in her possession, as she crosses from self-destructive behavior to outright homicide.

The German Shepherd

The stray dog initially befriends Amanda, sensing her distress before anyone else. As Naamah's influence grows, the dog becomes fearful and ultimately attacks Amanda, symbolizing the loss of innocence and the natural world's rejection of the possessed.

Dr. Flynn

Dr. Flynn is Amanda's physician, who offers conventional medical advice and refers Amanda to a psychiatrist. She is emblematic of the limitations of science and reason in confronting supernatural evil, and may herself be subtly complicit or influenced by Naamah.

Ray Thomas

Ray is the leader of the Ray of Hope Fellowship, who performs a superficial "depossession" ritual. His ineffectiveness and self-serving attitude highlight the inadequacy of institutional responses to Amanda's crisis.

Sophia

Sophia is Ed's friend's wife, a woman of perfect composure and mystery. She becomes a mirror for Amanda's transformation, and in a moment of supernatural revelation, appears to Amanda as another possessed or demonic figure, suggesting a hidden world of entities like Naamah.

The Little Girl at the Beach

The child Amanda nearly drowns at the beach represents innocence and vulnerability. The incident is a turning point, demonstrating Amanda's loss of control and the real-world consequences of her possession.

Plot Devices

Gradual Possession

The novel's central device is the incremental nature of Amanda's possession. Rather than a sudden takeover, Naamah's influence grows through small, plausible changes—habits, moods, impulses—making it difficult for Amanda and those around her to recognize the danger until it is too late. This slow burn creates a sense of inevitability and dread.

Unreliable Narration

Amanda's perspective is increasingly unreliable as the story progresses. Blackouts, memory lapses, and conflicting internal voices make it unclear what is real and what is the demon's manipulation. This device immerses the reader in Amanda's confusion and helplessness.

Symbolic Objects

Objects like the red doorknob, stolen lipstick, and the recurring motif of red (blood, sea, sand) serve as tangible symbols of Amanda's transformation and Naamah's presence. These items mark key turning points and reinforce the story's themes of desire, transgression, and loss of control.

Foreshadowing and Recurrence

Early events—childhood visions, the tapping, the dog's behavior—foreshadow Amanda's fate. Recurring dreams and motifs create a sense of cyclical inevitability, suggesting that Amanda's possession is both a personal and archetypal tragedy.

Psychological Horror

The novel's horror is rooted in the mind, focusing on Amanda's internal struggle and the dissolution of her identity. The supernatural elements are intertwined with psychological trauma, making the possession both literal and metaphorical.

Analysis

Come Closer is a chilling exploration of the porous boundaries between self and other, sanity and madness, desire and destruction. Sara Gran's novel uses the framework of demonic possession to probe the vulnerabilities of the human psyche—how loneliness, trauma, and longing can open the door to forces beyond our control. The story's power lies in its ambiguity: is Amanda truly possessed, or is she succumbing to repressed impulses and psychological breakdown? The narrative's relentless focus on the mundane—marital squabbles, work stress, daily routines—grounds the supernatural in the everyday, making the horror all the more unsettling. Ultimately, the novel is a meditation on agency, responsibility, and the seductive allure of surrendering to one's darkest desires. It warns that evil rarely arrives with fanfare; instead, it seeps in quietly, disguised as comfort, excitement, or love, until it is too late to resist.

Last updated: July 23, 2025