By Joe Hill
For my second book written by Stephen King’s son, Joe
Hill, I decided on Heart-Shaped Box.
Like his father, it is clear that Joe Hill appreciates music, and there
is an obvious connection to music throughout the book. One obvious connection is the fact that the
main character is fictional rocker Judas Coyne.
Judas Coyne is a hardcore rock star like Ozzy Osbourne,
Alice Cooper or Rob Zombie. Six feet
tall, large and with a bushy black beard; Jude lives with his girlfriend
“Georgia” and his two dogs: Bon and Angus.
Jude discovers an online auction where a woman is selling her
stepfather’s suit, and his soul. He
decides this would be perfect for his collection of macabre tokens, and he
immediately buys the suit. When the suit
arrives, however, he realizes that he has purchased more than he has bargained
for. Georgia pricks herself on a pin in
the suit, and Jude soon begins seeing the ghost of the former owner inside his
home. His worries about seeing the ghost
of Craddock (the old man), persuades Jude to call the seller. Jude discovers that Craddock was the
stepfather of his former girlfriend, Florida.
Her sister, the seller of the suit, laughs at his misfortune. While Georgia’s hand becomes more infected,
and Jude sees Craddock more and more often, the two also start behaving
strangely. After several malicious
attacks on himself and Georgia, Jude realizes how much control Craddock has over
him. Georgia and Jude hit the road with
their animal protectors, Bon and Angus, and try to escape the danger presented
by Craddock. Jude is forced to deal with
his past, and discovers that Craddock’s motivation is based on revenge for his
dead stepdaughter. The story unfolds to
detail Jude’s relationship with “Florida” and their relationship which ended in
her suicide. Jude is also forced to
reconcile with details from his childhood, including the relationship with his
father. Craddock pursues them
relentlessly and the reader is held at the edge of their seat wondering who is
going to make it out alive. The tension
is profound, as we wonder if Craddock is right. Will the “dead bring down the dead?”
It’s hard not to compare Joe Hill to his father. Being a huge fan, I think this is a good
thing. Hill’s suspenseful writing, and
his descriptions of pain and or violence are palpable. He pulls you into the story with relatable
characters, and creates terrifying scenarios that makes you wonder how they are
going to get out of it. Aside from the
supernatural elements, Hill also creates a compelling and believable story for
the motivation of all characters involved.
The story progresses to reveal important details about Jude’s childhood
and delves further into Florida’s psyche, which only strengthens the narrative. I look forward to the opportunity to continue
to read more by Joe Hill, and would recommend you do the same. As a side note: Joe Hill’s writing obviously continues to
improve, as I enjoyed NOS4A2 much more than this book. I am eager to see what he will write in the
future.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Bunsen Burners
Up Next: Haunted or
Damned by Chuck Palahniuk, Xenocide by Orson Scott Card, Mystic River by Dennis
Lehane, or Dr. Sleep by Stephen King.
