I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 - by Robert Brockway (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

To bright and anxious eight-year-old Kay Washington, the worst thing in the world is being alone with the quiet. That's why Eddie Video makes the perfect imaginary friend: He's smart, he's loud, he loves pulling pranks, and he's always there to chase away the silence.

To mid-forties, down-on-his-luck Ivan, the worst thing in the world happened when he lost his imaginary friend. Now cursed with the ability to see everyone else's, Ivan makes a living by killing the imaginary friends of adults who couldn't let go. But when one of Eddie Video's "pranks" goes too far, Ivan agrees to make an exception and help Kay.

Only Ivan will soon learn that Eddie Video is nothing like the talking ostriches, star bears, and goblin princesses he's encountered in the past, and it's going to take a lot more than clumsy haymakers and steak knives to bring him down. A balance of comedy and catharsis, this dual-narrative tackles both the fear of growing up and the scars our childhood leaves behind.

Review Quotes

"Stephen King meets Sesame Street in this delightfully unhinged, mind-bending horror novel . . . Brockway uses the outre stuffed animal-based gore and outright evil villain to craft a smart and surprisingly touching metaphor for growing up. This thoroughly original tale has heart, menace, and just the right blend of fluff and guts."
―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Brockway's latest alternates between body blows of caustic whimsy and uppercuts of body horror, and you'll never know which is coming next. Be warned: Many children are harmed, so this novel is not for the faint of heart. But then again, neither is childhood."
―Jason Pargin, New York Times bestselling author of the John Dies at the End series

"A chimerical, page-turning wonder of magic and menace, held together by the big, beating heart at its center."
―Jeremy Robert Johnson, author of The Loop

"I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 captures that magical time in childhood we look back on as adults and realize we were in a hell of a lot more danger than we ever thought possible."
―Stephen Blackmoore, author of Dead Things

"Equal parts beautiful and skin-crawlingly creepy, this is probably the most heartwarming horror story I've ever read."
―Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author of God's Junk Drawer and The Broken Room

"A wild-eyed, psychedelic madhouse of a novel that sucker punches you before you can get away, then sits on your chest and makes you read it."
―Jackson Ford, author of The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind and The Bone Raiders

"Funny as balls and creepy as hell."
―Django Wexler, author of Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me

About the Author

Robert Brockway is a novelist, screenwriter, podcast host, and co-founder of the 1-900-HOTDOG comedy empire. He's the author of the post-apocalyptic horror epic Carrier Wave, as well as the punk-rock horror series The Vicious Circuit from Tor Books. He hails from Portland, Oregon, where a witch once told him he was immortal. She hasn't been proven wrong yet.