PROMISE BREAKER by Chris Adrian

Demonic possession of children has always given me the creeps. Perhaps possession is not what is really the problem with Carl, in “Promise Breaker” by Chris Adrian, but it really looks that way.

There is something wrong with Carl. His father and grandfather took him to the hospital where no one was able to give an explanation. The doctors just diagnosed him with an “altered mental state.” No treatments or cures could be offered. The staff of the hospital is fearful of Carl.

Carl spouting strange things in a voice that sounds like radio static, “We are the dead, and what is a needle compared to a four-hundred-thousand-pound airplane? Or two? Poke away, physician. You can’t hurt us like that.”

As the story continues, it becomes clear that part of Carl’s problem has to do with 9/11 and the destruction of the Towers. It seems likely that Carl is possessed by the angry spirits of those killed in the attack. These spirits are calling for revenge and for blood. However, these spirits are not clear on whose blood they are calling.

This story is told from the perspective of Carl’s father. There are a lot of father’s in this story. It gets a tad confusing when the narrator talks about his father, Carl’s grandfather, but it touching, and there are two examples of how men handle grief.

Carl’s father is full of hope. He does not listen to his father or the doctors. He prods Carl and plays along with the voices. He lies to Carl, when Carl is present and the voice have gone, telling him that he has narcolepsy and that he sleeps a lot.

Carl’s grandfather, the narrator’s father, uses hard work, like chopping wood to avoid the situation. He does not humor Carl or the voices. He believes the doctors when they tell him that Carl could be faking the whole thing.

Still there is something in the title that makes me wonder what else is going on. Also, the voices blame the father for something, Carl’s mother’s death, 9/11, something big. It seems that the voices what something from Carl’s father.

The ending of the story is bloody and shocking. I’m still not sure that I totally understand it, but it is a powerful symbol.

Adrian, Chris. “Promise Breaker.” Esquire. December 2007, vol 148, no 6. p. 141 – 154

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