Le Costume du mort
by Joe Hill
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|
| published
|
March 12th 2008
by Lattès
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| first published
| 2007 |
| binding
| Broché |
| isbn
|
2709629046
(isbn13: 9782709629041)
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| date added
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01-24-08
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(showing 1-20 of 2008)
Read in May, 2008
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
Regular readers know that one of the subjects I'm often talking about here at CCLaP is that of so-called "genre fiction" versus "mainstream literature," and especially of the natural danger of the former; that many genre novels are as popular as they are simply because they del...more
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
Regular readers know that one of the subjects I'm often talking about here at CCLaP is that of so-called "genre fiction" versus "mainstream literature," and especially of the natural danger of the former; that many genre novels are as popular as they are simply because they deliver that genre's fetishistic details in spades, not necessarily because they're good at the building blocks behind all good literature (or in other words, character and plot and style, the same criteria off which CCLaP's reviews are based). So why bother reading genre pieces when you're not a natural fan of that genre? Well, because every so often, a genre novel will come out that is good at the literary ABCs, that does appeal to audience members besides those who naturally love that genre to begin with, and as a result become much more exciting and worthwhile projects than simple mainstream literature; to cite a good recent example, think of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning The Road, how on the surface it seems like any other post-apocalyptic science-fiction thriller but in reality actually tells a much deeper and more profound message than most other books of that genre.
That's what led me, frankly, to reading 2007's Heart-Shaped Box this week, the surprisingly popular debut novel by Joe Hill; because it's a genre novel itself, to tell you the truth, a genre I don't usually care for that much (horror, to be specific), but one that's been getting a lot of attention in the last year from places other than the horror community, a small-press novel that has nonetheless landed in the top 10 of the New York Times bestseller list and with a big-budget Hollywood adaptation by Neil Jordan coming out later this year. Ah, but then I actually read it, and am now even more confused than I was before; because to be perfectly frank, Heart-Shaped Box is an okay novel but certainly nothing better than most other horror books, or at least from the viewpoint of this non-fan who tends to lump all their storylines together. Because really, if you want to think of genre novels in a standardized, almost scientific way, you can really think of them like this -- that all genre novels basically start with a semi-hacky plotline full of easily-guessed cliches (which is why they're known as genre novels in the first place), and how good or bad that novel turns out to be hinges on where that author goes with that semi-hacky plotline, either upwards into unexpected territory or downwards to wallow in its hacky, cliched mess.
And that's the biggest problem with Heart-Shaped Box; unlike the best genre work out there, the stuff that legitimately breaks through to a general mainstream audience, here Hill chooses to wallow in the most predictable cliches available whenever given the choice, whenever given the chance to otherwise elevate his material into something truly unique. Because I mean, seriously, just how many more horror projects do we need that feature as its main villain a creepy horse-faced old man in an antique black suit and fedora hat who talks with a threatening southern drawl? Or dogs that can somehow preternaturally sense the looming evil around them long before the humans do? Or sassy grandmas who accidentally provide the key to the story's entire resolution, through their folksy sayin's spouted around their homey kitchen during a down moment in the plot? These are all bad cliches of the horror genre, the things that make me as a non-fan flee from most hackneyed books within that genre; the entire reason I picked up Heart-Shaped Box was because I thought it was going to be better than that, given the fanatical grassroots popularity the book has inspired since first coming out.
Unfortunately the book is not that; it's a decent horror story, don't get me wrong, but ultimately nothing better or even different than a typical Stephen King novel circa 1982 or so, all haunted cars and cheesy inner dialogue and badly dated rock lyrics and the whole bit. (And speaking of which, by the way, can I just get this off my chest, please? What self-respecting death-metal veteran would ever possibly consider Counting Crows and Coldplay among his favorite bands? Cheese And Rice, Joe Hill, pick a music style and stick with it already, or don't bother making your main character a grizzled death-metal veteran to begin with.) If you're already a fan of horror novels, by all means go ahead and pick it up if you haven't already; if you're like me, though, and tend to only tackle a handful of such projects per year, Heart-Shaped Box unfortunately should not be one of them.
Out of 10: 6.8, or 7.8 for horror fans ...less
Read in May, 2008
I had never heard of Joe Hill, the offspring of Stephen King who wrote this novel under a pen name because he did not want to gain attention to his work for the sole reason that he is Stephen King’s son, until my grandmother, a Stephen King fanatic, told me a little about the book when she was a quarter of the way through it. After she had finished she lent me the book and I wearily took it and began my journey into the life of Judas Coyne, an ex-rocker with a wicked taste for paranormal item...more
I had never heard of Joe Hill, the offspring of Stephen King who wrote this novel under a pen name because he did not want to gain attention to his work for the sole reason that he is Stephen King’s son, until my grandmother, a Stephen King fanatic, told me a little about the book when she was a quarter of the way through it. After she had finished she lent me the book and I wearily took it and began my journey into the life of Judas Coyne, an ex-rocker with a wicked taste for paranormal items and much younger women.
Heart-Shaped Box opens with a run of the mill, usual day of a retired rock star, Judas Coyne, his clerk and annoying friend by business-association and his goth fan-girl girlfriend whom he refers to as Georgia, that being the state in which he picked her up in while on tour with his band. The only thing remotely intriguing about this washed up rocker living in a desolate section of the United States in a farm house is his collection of occult and otherwise eerie knick knacks that fans had sent him over the years.
Judas’ attraction to so-called haunted objects has over the years evolved into an entire room full of random junk that most likely isn’t worth keeping around, but who he had built himself into being over the years on the road with his band is a man in which the goth lifestyle flocked to–And it had obviously stuck with him years after the other members of his band died off and disappeared. When his clerk sees a haunted suit online, Judas doesn’t think twice before telling him to get it. Days later, the suit arrives in a heart-shaped box and the horror, ghost-chasing story unravels.
Heart-Shaped Box is not the great horror story in which people have been claiming; it is however, a horror story that is about the same caliber of a Stephen King novel–And not his early work, which was what had built King to be known as a great horror story teller. This novel, while interesting and captivating at first, begins to drag on by the time you reach the middle of the story. While Hill is describing light, smells, temperature and feelings, you start to think to yourself “Yeah, I get it, now on with it!” This feeling is nothing short of what is felt while reading a recently published King novel.
Hill’s attention to detail is either an attribute beloved by readers or an attribute that can be seen as nothing but a writer wanting to write a novel instead of a novella. While his detailed explanations and back story of the characters is thorough, I found myself more interested in the story of Coyne’s girlfriend, Georgia; or Marybeth as we later begin to refer to her as, while my interest in the main character simply went stale, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
While I can respect that Hill used a pen name in order to separate himself from his father and publish his novel by himself, this story runs dry way too early in order to be called a great horror story and it can easily be seen that the majority of Hill’s interest in horror stories and writing them came from his father. This novel reads as if Hill simply read Stephen King’s instructional writing book, On Writing, and decided to try on the novelist’s suit for a while....less
Read in July, 2008
I'm a huge fan of the horror genre. While I tend to stick to the more obscure, barely-published authors or the wonderfully pulpy 80's horror-boom hacks (and I mean that a a loving a compliment) I occasionally like to dip into the more mainstream stuff just to see what other people are going nuts over. This novel had gained some acclaim, so I figured I'd see what the fuss was about.
The Good: Heart-Shaped Box contained a few genuinely creepy moments. The first appearance of Craddock,...more
I'm a huge fan of the horror genre. While I tend to stick to the more obscure, barely-published authors or the wonderfully pulpy 80's horror-boom hacks (and I mean that a a loving a compliment) I occasionally like to dip into the more mainstream stuff just to see what other people are going nuts over. This novel had gained some acclaim, so I figured I'd see what the fuss was about.
The Good: Heart-Shaped Box contained a few genuinely creepy moments. The first appearance of Craddock, the phone call from Danny and the first glimpse of the truck all gave me a slight chill. Nothing ground-breaking, but for a first novel, Hill has a pretty good grasp of how to conjure up a good, slow-burn scare.
The Bad: The whole Rock 'N' Roll aspect was unbearably corny. For starters (and I say this as both a nit-picky book nerd and metalhead,) despite what the inner-leaf copy states, Judas Coyne has absolutely nothing to do with death metal. I just needed to get that right out because it irked me to no end. Secondly, every reference to rock in the book felt forced and contrived--an outsider's wild guess on what it's like to be a rock star. Kind of like how punks were always portrayed in 80's movies. As the story puttered along, purring sometimes and puttering at others, almost every rock 'n' roll moment pretty much pulled me out of the narrative. By the Black Crowes reference in the last third, I was almost ready to quit the damned book.
Aside from the rock references, I think the book sort of got away from Hill once Jude left his house and took to the road. The slowly-built tension of the beginning's haunted-house story dissipated as Jude's mustang rolled out of his driveway; the book shifted from the tightly-controlled environment of the Craddock-haunted house to a much more sloppy road story. What's more scary: discovering a spectral old man with black squiggles where eyes should be listening for you in a chair outside your room or riding down the highway rocking out to some ACDC and seeing a ghost truck in your rear-view mirror?
Either way, I won't pan the book because there were a few interesting moments. Since this was Hill's first novel, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and maybe check back in with him a few books down the line to see where things have gone.
Postscript: After looking at the pages of accolades placed in the beginning of this book, I can't help but wonder exactly why it received so much attention when there are other genre authors out there doing such great things and getting so little credit. I wish I could forward copies of Gary A. Braunbeck's In Silent Graves, Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door, or Tom Piccirilli's A Choir of Ill Children to these gushing reviewers just to let them know what other stuff is out there....less
bookshelves:
books-read-in-2007
Read in March, 2007
THE HEART-SHAPED BOX BY JOE HILL: One thing I admire greatly about Joe Hill King, son of famous bestselling author Stephen King, is that he didn’t get a leg up from his father like our President did. While I’m sure he’s had plenty of help and advice, Joe Hill has earned his own success through his own writing. Having won a Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection with his first book 20th Century Ghosts, he now returns with his first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, which was naturally makin...more
THE HEART-SHAPED BOX BY JOE HILL: One thing I admire greatly about Joe Hill King, son of famous bestselling author Stephen King, is that he didn’t get a leg up from his father like our President did. While I’m sure he’s had plenty of help and advice, Joe Hill has earned his own success through his own writing. Having won a Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection with his first book 20th Century Ghosts, he now returns with his first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, which was naturally making a tremendous amount of buzz before the book even came out. And the congratulatory quote on the back of the book from Neil Gaiman just made it that more popular.
Our main character, Judas Coyne, is a famous guitarist of a band that was once up there with Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, but after the sudden deaths of two band members, the guitarist is now a successful solo artist whose eccentricities range into the banal, naturally. His favorite is to collect items and trinkets of the most unusual – the weirder the better! So when Jude sees a ghost for sale on an auction site, he immediately jumps on it, chooses the buy it now option and soon has the package on its way. The single mother is very happy to get rid of the ghost of her grandfather who has been haunting her and her son for so long, and Jude now has his very own ghost.
The package arrives in a large black heart-shaped box and inside he finds an ancient but impeccable suit. Judas is impressed by it, closes the box and soon forgets about it. Then the haunting begins: strange noises and soon they see the ghost, walking around. Then things take a turn for the worse, as the ghost comes after Judas and his friends.
Sadly, when it is revealed where this ghost has come from the story kind of goes downhill. It turns out the ghost is the deceased grandfather of the sister of a former girlfriend of Jude’s who killed herself after he dumped her. While the supernatural element of the ghost remains, and it is on their tail trying to catch them, the reasoning behind it is weak and destroys the foundation of the plot. Nevertheless there is a darkness and depth within this novel that reveals a talented writer with a bold future ahead of him. Like Carrie, this is not the best first novel, but with the talent in Hill’s genes, we know there will be many more stories for him to tell that will be great and terrifying.
For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com....less
Read in June, 2008
recommended to Chris by:
jess
This is the only book I’ve ever seen my girlfriend even begin reading, which is probably nothing she needs broadcasted to the world. I forget how she exactly stumbled across it, but the concept of a dude foolishly buying a ghost over the internet seemingly piqued her interest. She anxiously waited for it to arrive; I was eager too, stoked I might actually catch her reading something other than “Star” magazine.
About a year later, she still hadn’t read it, so I decided to. This wo...more
This is the only book I’ve ever seen my girlfriend even begin reading, which is probably nothing she needs broadcasted to the world. I forget how she exactly stumbled across it, but the concept of a dude foolishly buying a ghost over the internet seemingly piqued her interest. She anxiously waited for it to arrive; I was eager too, stoked I might actually catch her reading something other than “Star” magazine.
About a year later, she still hadn’t read it, so I decided to. This works out for both of us, I got to read “Heart-Shaped Box”, and while she scrutinizes my internet activity, maybe she’ll pause to check out this review and find out what the book is about.
Judas Coyne is a hero for this new millennium, a self-indulgent rockstar past his prime with a history of personal issues and full of crass sarcasm and a penchant for the finer things in life: privacy, hot goth chicks half his age with countless tattoos and piercings, and grim artifacts of antiquity like severed skulls and torture devices. When his personal assistant, Danny, comes across an internet offer to purchase a dead man’s suit (and supposedly the dude’s ghost along with it), Coyne can’t possibly pass this up. He buys the suit, and sure enough, the ghost does indeed tag along. It turns out that the offer wasn’t exactly what it initially seemed, that this ghost has a more personal connection to him and a hell of a grudge.
Overall, the book was pretty enjoyable, and I’d be interested to see what else author Joe Hill might do next. The characters were likable enough, the story wasn’t great but did a good job entertaining, and his humor is pretty good throughout (my favorite example was when he’s consulting a ouija board and explains that he feels stupid, but once in a music video he “had run in mock horror through a field of clover, chased by a dwarf in a dirty leprechaun suit and carrying a chainsaw” so acting like a fool isn't exactly new to him). Hill does seem influenced by Stephen King, the most obvious nod of the hat being the crossbreeding of the horror genre and rock and roll, with the title taken from a Nirvana tune, and chapters named after songs by Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, and Led Zeppelin. I’d think that fans of Stephen King who are on the verge of soiling themselves in anticipation of his next book can probably use “Heart-Shaped Box” to get them back to a state of regularity.
...less
Read in April, 2007
This was like the first "horror" book I've read in like a really long time.
The basic premises is that this semi-ex rock stars likes to collect morbid and weird things. So when he's alerted to a ghost for sale on an ebay ripoff site, Jude snatches up the deal for $1000 no questions asked. What he doesn't expect is, the ghost is real. The ghost doesn't want to disappoint and starts haunting Jude and his gal Georgia, with the intent to not only have them dead but have them kill each ...more
This was like the first "horror" book I've read in like a really long time.
The basic premises is that this semi-ex rock stars likes to collect morbid and weird things. So when he's alerted to a ghost for sale on an ebay ripoff site, Jude snatches up the deal for $1000 no questions asked. What he doesn't expect is, the ghost is real. The ghost doesn't want to disappoint and starts haunting Jude and his gal Georgia, with the intent to not only have them dead but have them kill each other.
The first 125 pages were a bit rough. The narrative was acceptable, except once we got past the build up I felt like there was a lot of nothing going on. There was some creepy stuff, but beyond that I was just starting to get really annoyed with Jude. What wasn't he doing ANYTHING??? He explained away most things, but come on! A little more reaction, please.
Roughly around page 130 the book gets suddenly really good. I attribute this to Jude's sudden willingness to fight back. There are a ton of twists and turns and the story behind the ghost and Jude is an emotional one. It's creepy and scary, and boy does this ghost have Nerve, but mostly I was driven on by the story and the way the characters change.
Jude and Georgia are anything but flat characters. It approaches the whole idea of remembering who you are or were in the past and coming to accept that in order to move on and become someone new.
There's a few great moments in the book that have little to do with the main plot or the scare tactic that I will just simply remember. For instance why a loafer is hanging from the review mirror of the old mustang.
Joe Hill (author) gets an A+ for sensory detail, both the pleasant and harshly disturbing.
If you're into disturbing/horror material it's worth the read. There's still a loose sense of I don't really get it all that accompanies ANY thing of this genre, but the book does a really good job tying up loose end and wrapping it up. In fact I particularly liked how the end of the book was handled, in a series of really short chapters.
If you're looking for a creepy novel or something to get you thinking about life and the thereafter then this is a good book. Just heed my warning of the slow beginning.
...less
bookshelves:
horror,
music
Read in August, 2007
Aging rock star Judas Coyne (surprise twist! not his real name), a collector of strange and macabre items, learns about a ghost up for sale on an "eBay knockoff" and decides he has to have it. The ghost is transported to him via the dead man's suit, wrapped in a heart-shaped box, and almost immediately Jude begins to experience buyer's remorse.
The beginning of this book—the first hundred pages or so—was truly frightening to me. A secret: vampires, werewolves, mummies, sea monst...more
Aging rock star Judas Coyne (surprise twist! not his real name), a collector of strange and macabre items, learns about a ghost up for sale on an "eBay knockoff" and decides he has to have it. The ghost is transported to him via the dead man's suit, wrapped in a heart-shaped box, and almost immediately Jude begins to experience buyer's remorse.
The beginning of this book—the first hundred pages or so—was truly frightening to me. A secret: vampires, werewolves, mummies, sea monsters, demons, zombies, killer clowns—these things don't scare me. Ghosts scare me. They don't even have to do anything: there's just something about them, intangible but there, watching, that scares the crap out of me. So this book freaked me out the most—in that wonderful, shivery, brrr kind of way—when the ghost wasn't doing anything, when it was just sitting in Jude's hallway, its hat in its hand, two mad, black scribbles where its eyes should be.
Then the plot happened. See, there's a reason Jude came to find out about this particular auction; Jude's ex-girlfriend's family is blah blah blah...okay: all of this is actually pretty interesting. The action did lag in the middle, when there were just a lot of instances in a row of the ghost trying to convince Jude and Jude's new girlfriend, Georgia, to kill themselves, but it does pick up again, and the whole book is generally captivating. However, as soon as the plot engages, the book stops being scary. At least to me: once its motivations are explained, the ghost became a creepy dude out for revenge, and a lot of the otherworldliness, the inexplicableness, went away, and with it the scary. There were still things I enjoyed: Jude and Georgia are both interesting, flawed characters, and I liked how their relationship developed; I even liked the slightly unrealistic ending. (It made me happy, okay? I'm a sap; shut up.) But the book lost something for me when it stopped being frightening, and devolved from something creepy and unusual to something much more done, almost an ordinary, average horror/thriller. So it's a good novel, yeah, but not a great one; I really do wish Hill's spark of originality could have burned a little bit longer. Maybe in the next one....less
bookshelves:
glbt_interest,
horror,
reviewed,
sff
Read in August, 2007
I went into this blind, without any idea what it was about (but Res liked it, so I'd give it a try). I should probably give it more than three stars -- it's far closer to 4, but I'm not sure of that yet. We'll see after the book's had some time to settle into my brain some. (Vague spoilers below.)
Joe Hill writes himself some good character. I loved how clearly everyone was drawn and how so much of who and what everyone was was shown in their words and actions. The skewed POV of t...more
I went into this blind, without any idea what it was about (but Res liked it, so I'd give it a try). I should probably give it more than three stars -- it's far closer to 4, but I'm not sure of that yet. We'll see after the book's had some time to settle into my brain some. (Vague spoilers below.)
Joe Hill writes himself some good character. I loved how clearly everyone was drawn and how so much of who and what everyone was was shown in their words and actions. The skewed POV of the narrator was perfect for that and all that was really nicely done.
I loved the hook of buying a ghost and the twist he spun on it. I loved that the ghost story itself was so turned upside-down. It felt fresh, which rocks for a ghost story. *g*
I also enjoyed that much of the first third felt influenced by Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves, which is a terrifying and brilliant novel.
I loved the description of the scenery changing as they reached the Deep South, and I appreciated that the women characters were interesting, strong, and had some depth of character.
There are three gay men/boys and they have a 100% mortality rate. The two main female characters are both technically of the "hooker with a heart of gold" variety, although they're a lot deeper than that makes them sound. There's one black guy (a doctor, with one scene). There's a great supernatural hook and a scary bad guy. There are cool cars and at least one car chase -- so all the usual Hollywood tropes, good and bad, are there. I wonder when the movie's going to come out.
The only thing I hated was how the flashbacks were in italics, but the dialogue within those flashbacks was in plain roman. There was no reason to style it like that and it bugged the hell out of me -- to the point of yanking me out of the story.
My other gripe was with the ending. I bought some of his life after the story's climax, but not all of it. (I know enough about the music industry and the fame machine to make me go 'buh?') Otherwise, the story trailed off into fragments of happily-ever-after, which really (bothered me and) seemed to belong to an entirely different novel. Frustrating.
But overall it was nicely harrowing and about as scary as I can comfortably handle. :D...less
bookshelves:
sucked
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
Book Burners :)
The cover of this book promises that you will be "haunted" and "startled," and that the book will even "visit you in your dreams."
Funny, as I read this "scary" novel, I couldn't help but think back to the time I read The Shining ... it was storming outside, it was 3AM and I was too afraid to put the book down, and I didn't care if I would end up wetting the bed because there was no way in hell I was going to get up and go to the bathroom. "Heart ...more
The cover of this book promises that you will be "haunted" and "startled," and that the book will even "visit you in your dreams."
Funny, as I read this "scary" novel, I couldn't help but think back to the time I read The Shining ... it was storming outside, it was 3AM and I was too afraid to put the book down, and I didn't care if I would end up wetting the bed because there was no way in hell I was going to get up and go to the bathroom. "Heart Shaped Box" also made me think back to other King novels that had me ready to piss myself with terror: Cujo, Salem's Lot, The Tommyknockers, etc. I even thought back to Red Dragon by Harris, the book that I couldn't read unless my boyfriend was there. When you're traumatized from what you've read, you know you've found a good horror author.
Right up to the last page of Heart Shaped Box, I kept waiting for something scary, and when that didn't happen, I thinking that horror should be left to the masters, that the reviews about this book were false advertizing, and that the only true horror writer is Stephen King.
Then I read that the author is King's son? Wow, if I were King I'd be disappointed in my kid.
Man, this thing reads like something an 8th grader wrote for his creative writing class. First of all, the fact that an ageing rock star buys a ghost on the net isn't even a new idea: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/66...
Given that the story itself isn't even original, what else have we got here? Heh...
It's not scary, it's TOTALLY BORING, it's predictable (oh, let me guess, the depressed ex-stripper/groupie/20-something goth girl who's sleeping with a 50 year-old ex-rock star has a secret about her stepdad ... could it be molestation?? NO! I'M SHOCKED! WHAT A GENIUS PLOT TWIST!), and everything ends all happy, with smiles and rainbows and love and hugs ... and a few Care Bears, I'm sure.
Oh BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! I give it one star ... only for mentioning cool people like Nirvana, Ozzy, and Jackson Browne.
This book sucks. ...less
bookshelves:
done
Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
people who like Stephen King
Okay, so it's been a while since I've read "horror". It usually leaves me feeling a little ... what? Unresolved? Unsatisfied? Somewhat the issue here, too, even though the author DOES actually tie things up pretty nicely. I liked that he went a different way with the ghost thing - usually you have a ghost story, and much of it is the horror that no one believes you. This time, EVERYONE could see/hear/sense the ghost. I think this kinda made it less scary for me though. W...more
Okay, so it's been a while since I've read "horror". It usually leaves me feeling a little ... what? Unresolved? Unsatisfied? Somewhat the issue here, too, even though the author DOES actually tie things up pretty nicely. I liked that he went a different way with the ghost thing - usually you have a ghost story, and much of it is the horror that no one believes you. This time, EVERYONE could see/hear/sense the ghost. I think this kinda made it less scary for me though. Why is shared horror not as horrible? Random thought. Moving on...
I think I wanted Jude's father to do something... I mean, it was worked up so much that his father was this nasty, mean, bad guy; when the ghost possessed him, I was sorta hoping the old man would do something, like die in the attempt, at least, to help Jude out. But nah, he just died, and in the end it was "official" on paper that his dad tried to kill Jude and his girlfriend. Wraps it up nice, but leaves me feeling unsatisfied.
And, there was a whole lot of to-do about Jude's beard, and how Anna yanked on it, and told him he should shave so no one would recognize him anymore, etc. and I was really hoping by the end that Jude would shave it off. But he didn't. And I'm not sure if I'm disappointed because the author seemed to be working towards that but let it drop, or if it's because I hate big shaggy beards and I wanna like Jude but I just can't if he's got that stupid beard still?
Final word - it was an entertaining book, and I read it pretty fast (for me). It's a little creepy, but it never did give me the nightmares I was worried about getting. It didn't "hit me" in that psychological spot, you know? It was just too open about everything for it to be very scary at all.
OH, and the black scribbles over the dead people's eyes made me think simultaneously of Neil Gaiman's button-eyed people in Coraline and of the black-scribble-monster in season two ("Fear Her") of Doctor Who, when the kid's drawings come to life. ("I got attacked by a pencil scribble?") Yes folks, it's not hard, but eventually I can bring everything back around to Doctor Who eventually. ^_^...less
bookshelves:
cuy-co-pub-lib,
finished
Read in January, 2008
Joe Hill, Heart-Shaped Box (Morrow, 2007)
There are times when you want a book that will challenge you, something immensely difficult but rewarding, something that will make you see the world in a slightly new way when you're finished with it. And then there are times when you just want something that's a damned good read. Heart-Shaped Box certainly qualifies as the latter. It's not deathless literature by any means, but once it gets its hooks into you, it won't let go until the very end.
...more
Joe Hill, Heart-Shaped Box (Morrow, 2007)
There are times when you want a book that will challenge you, something immensely difficult but rewarding, something that will make you see the world in a slightly new way when you're finished with it. And then there are times when you just want something that's a damned good read. Heart-Shaped Box certainly qualifies as the latter. It's not deathless literature by any means, but once it gets its hooks into you, it won't let go until the very end.
Joe Hill is very much a chip off the old block (in case you're one of the three or four people left on the planet who don't know which block that is, I won't say, but it's obvious when you read the book), and much like his pappy, he writes books that are long on both character and plot and very, very fast on pacing. The characters in this case are Judas Coyne, semi-retired rock star, and his current girlfriend Marybeth, whom he calls Georgia (after the state where she grew up). Coyne, a collector of weird occult artifacts, is alerted to an online auction by his manager: a woman is selling a suit that supposedly harbors a ghost. It's right up Coyne's alley, and he buys it. The only problem is, the ghost is not a fan of rock and roll, and not a fan of Judas Coyne in particular.
While Hill certainly has the character thing down, there were some pieces of set decoration that looked as if they were going to play a much larger part in the story, but ended up being mostly, well, set decoration; I would have liked to see some props that were (or gave the impression of being) more than just props. There were also a few subplots that cried out for further development, but when you've got this book in your face, demanding you finish just one more chapter before going to sleep, these seem like minor quibbles. Joe Hill's got chops. If you don't mind your mystery with a twist of horror, this is definitely one to pick up. ****
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bookshelves:
horror-scifi-fantasy
Read in March, 2007
The lead singer of Jude's Hammer, aging rocker Judas Coyne, has made a career out of being creepy. His legions of fans are accustomed to listen to Jude's music about shouting at the devil, the darkers side of human nature, and the hatred and anger that come with life as a rock star. Jude has even gone so far as to bring the depravity that is commonplace when he's on stage into his everyday life. He owns real human skulls, John Wayne Gacy art work, and a snuff film that ended his marriage. Yes, J...more
The lead singer of Jude's Hammer, aging rocker Judas Coyne, has made a career out of being creepy. His legions of fans are accustomed to listen to Jude's music about shouting at the devil, the darkers side of human nature, and the hatred and anger that come with life as a rock star. Jude has even gone so far as to bring the depravity that is commonplace when he's on stage into his everyday life. He owns real human skulls, John Wayne Gacy art work, and a snuff film that ended his marriage. Yes, Jude has made a business out of being creepy, so it's no surprise that when he's offered the opportunity to buy a ghost, he jumps at it.
What Jude doesn't realize is that when the heart-shaped box containing a dead man's suit--and with it the dead man's ghost--arrives at his house, the creepy facade will become his reality. Soon Jude is being haunted day and night by Craddock McDermott, the stepfather of one of Jude's old girlfriends, who is trained as a hypnotist and has vowed that he will not leave his earth unless Jude is coming with him. With his Goth girlfriend and two dogs at his side, Jude travels across the country to figure out a way to keep the dead man from pulling them down with him into the world of the dead.
Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box is the kind of creepy that gets under your skin and keeps you up at night. It's not gory or overly gross, and the horror scenes aren't overly graphic. Heart-Shaped Box is instead told in such a way that is haunting without being terrifying and I found myself rooting for Jude at every turn hoping he'd find a way to outwit the spirits that were chasing him. My only problem with the novel is that it takes awhile for the story to gain momenum so it might require your patience while you waiting for Jude and his girl to try to figure a way out of this mess. That being said, it is also a ghost story and also requires the ability to suspend disbelief, which might have been what took me awhile to get into it. Still, if you're the type of person who enjoys horror novels and you take the time to get immersed in the story, I guarantee you won't be disappointed....less
bookshelves:
the-good
Read in May, 2007
I don't think I quite knew what I was getting into when I picked up this book. I don't know what I thought I was going to read, but it wasn't this. So a warning to you: this book, or at least the beginning of it, is pretty freaky. I'm not a wimp. I grew up on Goosebumps and Scary Stories by Alvan Schwartz, graduating on to Christopher Pike and various R.L. Stine young adult novels. I also love scary movies of all sort, so I'm not one easily freaked out. But this novel was pretty cr...more
I don't think I quite knew what I was getting into when I picked up this book. I don't know what I thought I was going to read, but it wasn't this. So a warning to you: this book, or at least the beginning of it, is pretty freaky. I'm not a wimp. I grew up on Goosebumps and Scary Stories by Alvan Schwartz, graduating on to Christopher Pike and various R.L. Stine young adult novels. I also love scary movies of all sort, so I'm not one easily freaked out. But this novel was pretty creepy, or at least the beginning.
Perhaps it's the concept and the description of the ghost that is unnerving. Maybe it's also because I was sort of caught off guard by what I was reading. But whatever it was I was freaked out and loving the book. The whole concept of the novel was unique.
At times I found myself wanting to give Joe Hill a thesaurus and a phrase book, because he kept using the same descriptions over and over again. I think it would have also helped him in making things a little clearer. It seemed he was having a little difficulty fleshing out plot points at moments. I can't really think of any specific examples, but you'll come across them as you read it.
The end seemed really just swept up. Not really making too much sense in relation to the story. It seemed like Hill just wanted to quickly wrap it up, no matter how many questions it either raised or left unanswered.
But besides those minor flaws, I gobbled this book up really fast. I wanted to know everything that was going on. Something kept me riveted throughout the whole story. That's why I'm keeping my rating at a B, despite some of the problems I pointed out. I'm also interested in reading some of Hill's other works. It was his way of telling this ghost story and the type of ghost story it was that made me interested. Overall? Pretty good read. Entertaining. Best part? The dogs, because they weren't just animals in the background, they were actual characters, very entertaining and loving ones.
Want a quick, good, scary story? Here's your next read....less
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Horror fans
Did you ever think you would ever read a decent horror novel again? Christ on his throne NO! and whoever would? Well, Joe Hill has managed quite a trick with his horror story Heart Shaped Box. Hill avoids so many of the pitfalls of the horror genre and shows at least one way to write an effective scary story.
The relative simplicity of the story allows Hill to concentrate on his characters. The main characters are Judas Coyne, an Ozzy Osbourne/Danzig like rocker, and his girlfriend Georgia. T...more
Did you ever think you would ever read a decent horror novel again? Christ on his throne NO! and whoever would? Well, Joe Hill has managed quite a trick with his horror story Heart Shaped Box. Hill avoids so many of the pitfalls of the horror genre and shows at least one way to write an effective scary story.
The relative simplicity of the story allows Hill to concentrate on his characters. The main characters are Judas Coyne, an Ozzy Osbourne/Danzig like rocker, and his girlfriend Georgia. That isn't her real name, but he uses home states as a substitute for names with his women. Coyne, a collector of the morbid and ghoulish, buys a ghost, in the form of a haunted suit. It turns out the ghost isn't terribly friendly.
In many stories, once the horrific elements start they don't stop. One effect of this is to make them less shocking. In Hill's story, the ghost that haunts his main characters attacks and then retreats. The characters return to the everyday only to have the evil force reappear in surprising ways. His writing is clear, lucid and naturalistic which makes his ghost seem all the more believable.
Hill makes the story more horrific by using less violence and limiting its scope. The violence in many horror novels is so over the top that it becomes cartoonish. In the scariest books and films, the threat of violence is much more unbearable than the act itself. The ghost is a tormentor in addition to a killer and Hill uses this to good effect.
Finally, the book addresses actual themes such as addressing one's pasts, redeeming past failures and the surviving bad families. While this may seem like window dressing in a book that is meant to keep you up at night and listening closely for intruders, it reinforces the characters as real people and invests the reader in the story.
This is Hill's first novel, so there is hope for more horror novels worth reading....less
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
adults, older teens
Semi-retired rocker Judas Coyne has an odd collection. He's drawn to the macabre. Some things he's purchased over the years, others were gifts from adoring fans. Things like a used hangman's noose and a snuff film. When given the opportunity to purchase a ghost at an online auction site Jude launched on the opportunity. A few days later the token of his purchase arrives. A old suit once worn by the deceased. The seller guarantees the ghost will come along with it.
It isn't long after that thi...more
Semi-retired rocker Judas Coyne has an odd collection. He's drawn to the macabre. Some things he's purchased over the years, others were gifts from adoring fans. Things like a used hangman's noose and a snuff film. When given the opportunity to purchase a ghost at an online auction site Jude launched on the opportunity. A few days later the token of his purchase arrives. A old suit once worn by the deceased. The seller guarantees the ghost will come along with it.
It isn't long after that things begin to get creepy.
Turns out the ghost is well acquainted with Jude and he's not very happy with the aging metal head. A couple of encounters is all it takes for Jude and his young groupie/girlfriend Georgia to want to be rid of the ghost.
By now it's no secret that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. Don't know if it was ever meant to be a secret, however, I can say that I greatly respect Joe for not using his father's name to get somewhere in the publishing world. He obviously wants to stand on his own two literary feet and with this debut novel he accomplishes just that.
Joe's writing is crisp and clean, lean and mean. Never is there a chance to go off on some tangent of flowery prose. Joe gets to the point fast and stays with it. Two people are being hunted down by a ghost who wants them dead and they must do whatever it takes to get away alive and rid themselves of the menace. I also love the Biblical tie-in with the lead character's name. Interesting for such a dark story. And yet, in the end it's not a dark story. It's about the same thing the Bible is. Redemption.
But how? You'll have to read Heart-Shaped Box to find out.
I'm looking forward to the next release by Joe Hill. His dad and others like him need to move over. Joe Hill's star is rising. And he just may be the Stephen King for a new generation....less
bookshelves:
21st-centurylit
Read in March, 2008
Joe Hill picks up where his father left off (even if he does keep publishing) in this debut novel. Aging rock star, Judas Coyne, has a fascination with the bizarre and an interest in 20-something-Goth-strippers-with-pasts. Jude's assistant receives notice about an eBay opportunity to buy a woman's step-father's ghost. Upon receiving said ghost it becomes evident to Jude that there is more than a simple eBay purchase going on, that he is linked to the ghost in a way he had never expecte...more
Joe Hill picks up where his father left off (even if he does keep publishing) in this debut novel. Aging rock star, Judas Coyne, has a fascination with the bizarre and an interest in 20-something-Goth-strippers-with-pasts. Jude's assistant receives notice about an eBay opportunity to buy a woman's step-father's ghost. Upon receiving said ghost it becomes evident to Jude that there is more than a simple eBay purchase going on, that he is linked to the ghost in a way he had never expected. With the help of his girlfriend, Georgia, they both have to return to their Southern roots in order to save their lives.
I was skeptical for a while as both the title and the story's premise had me rolling my eyes. I appreciated the fact that Joe Hill was not using Stephen King's name in order to get his own book out there; however, I expected the apple to fall not far from today's tree and I really did not believe Hill could manage anything quite as imaginative as his father had in the old days. Instead I am happy I listened to Belinda who convinced me it would be worth it; I was pleasantly surprised and incredibly pleased by the story. Joe Hill can write a character like very few in contemporary literature. His characters have real stories, have real backgrounds, which leads them to be full-fleshed interesting people. Jude has a connection with his two dogs which I found incredibly charming. Some of the story started to unravel a bit towards the end, which could have had more to do with the fact that my eyes were tired after reading the book since first thing in the morning than poor writing.
This was a good book for me to read this weekend, and more than once I had to think to myself that I hope a ghost like this goes after the jerk(s) who stole my wallet on Friday. Take that....less
bookshelves:
813-6,
horror,
sff
Read in June, 2008
Judas Coyne has just bought a ghost. Or at least, he has paid for a suit, on the understanding that with the suit will come a ghost. Just one more thing to add to his collection. The collection of a retired death-metal rock star. Only it turns out that it wasn’t just an accident that led to Jude visiting that e-bay wannabe website. Some one really wanted Jude to buy that suit. And once bought there are no returns and no refunds.
Sooner or later the dead catch up.
I did quite enjoy this boo...more
Judas Coyne has just bought a ghost. Or at least, he has paid for a suit, on the understanding that with the suit will come a ghost. Just one more thing to add to his collection. The collection of a retired death-metal rock star. Only it turns out that it wasn’t just an accident that led to Jude visiting that e-bay wannabe website. Some one really wanted Jude to buy that suit. And once bought there are no returns and no refunds.
Sooner or later the dead catch up.
I did quite enjoy this book. It isn’t fantastic, and I can’t really see myself rereading it, but it is easy to read, and every now and then there is a really nice touch. However, overall it just isn’t anything special. The horror aspects aren’t horrifying enough. And the whole plot doesn’t make a huge amount of sense. Why was the ghost so bothered about Judas? I’ve a feeling that a touch of exposition was left, or perhaps edited, out. Revealing that in order for Mr. Ghost to return he had to have this “great duty” to perform. But while this is hinted at in the novel a few times I don’t think we ever really got the ghost’s motivation. Or then again, maybe I just skimmed that part. This is the sort of book I tend to skim rather than really read.
A lot of things happened to quickly to be effective.
It is a pity, in a way, because the first half, well, maybe more the first third of the book was really very good. It built up the suspense and the creep factor. You could really feel the ghost’s presence. But then, I dunno, it just seemed to get away from Hill. Once things began to happen, like going on the road, the creep factor got replaced by much more of a gore factor. And I just don’t really enjoy that sort of horror. That being said, if you are a horror fan then it isn’t the worst book out there....less
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like New York Times book reviews
I found this book in a "best books of the year" list in the New York Times. The premise of the book was interesting...a semi-washed up death metal star buys a ghost on eBay. There were some lovely evocative language moments, but I thought the characters' backstories were disappointingly predictable and the transitions between reality and fantasy a bit awkward. Nevertheless, it was interesting to read, from a "how to write a book that will end up favorably reviewed by the NY Times&...more
I found this book in a "best books of the year" list in the New York Times. The premise of the book was interesting...a semi-washed up death metal star buys a ghost on eBay. There were some lovely evocative language moments, but I thought the characters' backstories were disappointingly predictable and the transitions between reality and fantasy a bit awkward. Nevertheless, it was interesting to read, from a "how to write a book that will end up favorably reviewed by the NY Times" perspective. I found myself wondering how the author started this story...like, what piece of it came first. Did he ask himself, "what would happen if someone bought a ghost on eBay? What kind of person would do that?" or did he see a heart-shaped box in an antique store and think, "what kinds of things might someone store in there? A ghost, perhaps?"
Even though I wasn't really jazzed by this book, I'd be willing to give the author's other works a try.
ps- I guess if I'd read the original New York Times review, I would've learned that "Heart Shaped Box" was a Nirvana song (I was of the Nirvana generation but honestly, I could've cared less, I was too busy listening to central European medieval folk songs.)
pps- I can't believe I didn't know that this guy was Stephen King's son. It didn't even occur to me while I was reading the book, even though he "lives in New England" according to the back flap and looks exactly like Stephen King. Well, at least the book wasn't so bad that I could make the "you only got published because your dad is Stephen King" accusation. It wasn't *that* bad. ...less
bookshelves:
sweet-sweet-awesomeness
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
jaded horror junkies, ghost lovers, anyone who has ever touched an Ouji board
At first I shrugged Heart-Shaped Box off; I had judged the book by its, hmmm, unimpressive cover and was turned off by the hordes of mainstream readers queuing up at local libraries.
But my friend recommended it and so I let her generally excellent taste guide me into...the best horror novel I've read in a while.
All the characters are interesting, vivid and magnetic presences. Hill writes flowing prose with some remarkable turns of phrase. This is solid basis for any book;...more
At first I shrugged Heart-Shaped Box off; I had judged the book by its, hmmm, unimpressive cover and was turned off by the hordes of mainstream readers queuing up at local libraries.
But my friend recommended it and so I let her generally excellent taste guide me into...the best horror novel I've read in a while.
All the characters are interesting, vivid and magnetic presences. Hill writes flowing prose with some remarkable turns of phrase. This is solid basis for any book; however, it really all comes down to the ghosties and how awesome they are. And they are awesome.
The o 
