Heart-Shaped Box

I was very excited to read Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill - between the advertising, summary and title it sounded downright cool.
I bought and finished the book, and personally I was quite dissapointed.
The characters were shallow - they didn't seem real, I felt no connection to them or liking for them.
The story was ridiculously farfetched (I know it was a ghost story, but still - it doesn't have that creppy edge that lets you imagine for just a moment that its real. It's too ridiculous to be scary, moving or even enjoyable.)
There were some scenes of ridiculous violence that came off as a lame attempts to seem dark and goth-y, sort of like a cheap shiny vinyl trench coat from Hot Topic.

I must admit I only picked up this book because I'd read that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, and I'm a long-time King fan. Perhaps that wasn't fair to Hill, so I'll avoid comparisons with his father's work.

Hill has written a dark tale about an aging rocker, Jude, and his girlfriend, Georgia, who are pursued by a ghost seeking revenge. This sounds like pretty standard horror-genre fare, but Hill avoids the usual cliches in both plot and prose. His characters are complex and interesting, his dialogue natural yet compelling, and the pacing is just about perfect. His flashbacks provide necessary background without being intrusive or taking over the story. His use of language is impressive; it's easy to read, yet bold, subtle and textured, with none of the awkwardness you often see in a new writer's work. In fact, it's hard to believe this is Hill's first novel, his writing is so confident, yet so well-crafted.

I read this novel because it was written by Stephen King's son. I'll read his next novel because it's written by Joe Hill.

This may be a treat for those who can identify with, depression, self-mutilation, suicide, and other low forms of human behavior exclusive of there being anything better in life. An interesting start, it's as if the reader (or audiobook listener in my case) jumps onto a literary sinking ship and goes down, down, blub, blub, blub. Aging rock star musician Judas Coyne and his victim-of-life girlfriend "Georgia," have to figure a way to end being chased by a murderous ghost who was the father of one of Judas' many former slutty girlfriends, "Florida." She committed suicide after Judas tossed her aside in his pursuit to screw his way through all 50 states.

Although not scary as was stated in the review that got me to pick this one up, I could have really appreciated this story as a short story leaving out the numerous acts of horrendous injustices the main characters experienced as naive youth at the hands of close family members. Each incident is related during periods of ghostly inaction, and each character is able to whip out an incident that tops that of the last told. By disc six I was calling to have them put out of their misery...

Joe Hill can write, the audio narration was fine, I just didn't care for the story as entertainment. In this genre what pops to mind at this moment that I have liked was Apt Pupil by Stephen King, the audio version of The Mist also by Stephen King, the Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz, A Watcher by the Dead an old short story by Ambrose Bierce, it's worth finding.

I expected a lot from this novel - not only because the author is Stephen King's son, but it received many 5-star reviews and generally positive reception from the critics.

This book started out as a very promising horror story; but after the first 150 pages, the plot slowed down and it did not captivate me as much compared to the beginning. The beginning was truly creepy (the first appearance of the old man's ghost, Danny's call, and all the weird events happening in the house), and I thought Hill's writing was flawless in describing all the chilling details. But as the story progressed, the plot got a little far-fetched and dragged out, and the old man's motive for killing the main characters, Jude and Georgia, became more and more unconvincing and vague (maybe it's just me, but I thought the motive in the beginning made a lot more sense). Also, the relationship between Jude and Georgia got a little dull and generic compared to the beginning (when they still have some personalities). The timing of the book was also very weird; it felt like the author omitted time when Jude and Georgia were on the road... it was like as if the characters were jumping places to places (this novel isn't the Dark Tower series... when time didn't matter). I was also disappointed by the ending because it didn't fit in with the horror theme and felt a little forced.

I would give this book 5 stars for the first 150 pages because it was really freaky to read, but overall an average rating because of the dragged out plot and anticlimactic progression of the book.

This first novel by Joe Hill, author of the acclaimed collection 20th Century Ghosts, makes its US debut with no little fanfare. And it lives up to its billing.

From the moment aging Ozzy Osbourne-style rocker Judas Coyne is tricked into adding one more item to his collection of bizarre artifacts, he is faced with what one might call "a situation." What he buys on an internet auction site as a lark (to go along with other questionable things such a real snuff film), is a supposedly ghost-bearing "dead man's suit" that comes packed in a heart-shaped box. Unfortunately, the ghost is real enough, and of the seriously disturbing kind. No surprise here. The seller won't take a return, oh no. In fact, the seller has manipulated the sale. You see, the ghost of Craddock McDermott seems to be intent on seeking vengeance for the way Jude neglected a troubled groupie-girlfriend -- one in a long line of them -- who committed suicide after Jude threw her out. But there's more to it than that, as the ghost threatens to wreak his revenge by killing first everyone around Jude, and then Jude himself. Ghosts may have lost some of their luster in the digital age, but this ghost isn't just creepy, it's the ghost of a very creepy customer indeed, and his haunting is horrific enough for any novel. (Note to movie director: Please don't let CGI kill this ghost. Thank you.)

Accompanied by current girlfriend Marybeth and a pair of very loyal dogs (whose personalities really shine), Jude embarks on a desperate cross-country road trip to unlock some deep secrets, many of them his own. The destination will surprise you as it surprises him. Judas Coyne (real name Justin Cowzynski) is a well-depicted old death-rocker. Half his band is dead, his joints hurt and, at 54, he's not much for the road any more. He's not one to take a lot of crap from a girlfriend, either, and it's this part of his character that gets him into trouble in the first place. Delicately handled to be both a little superficial and yet introspective, Jude grows perceptibly from chapter to chapter, thus humanizing what might have been a caricature. His tendency to name his dogs after other rockers is an affecting aside and foreshadows the dogs' real role in the plot. Marybeth handles the suit and pricks her finger, putting her in the ghost's crosshairs too, and her character is a well-drawn catalyst to drive Jude toward self-awareness. Ultimately you'll be the judge of whether the psychology of Heart-Shaped Box works or not - but you'll definitely enjoy the ride to possible redemption.

This first novel crackles with supernatural energy and the expectation of what's to come with very little faltering, though the Ouija board strikes one as a bit obvious. It's also the moving character study of a man whose life as a rock star has almost leached away his humanity. While not as complex as it could have been, Hill keeps it fast and lean and proves his chops with well-turned phrases, making this a solid debut from a talent who'll be fun to watch. The music references are welcome, too, for music geeks everywhere. Psst, if you haven't already heard the whispers, you might have heard of Hill's dad... goes by the name of King, Stephen King.