Heart-Shaped Box
One of my favorite things about discovering good art (whether that’s movies, music, or games) is when good art leads me to more good art. Such was the case with the recent movie Horns, which I reviewed back in October for Dorkadia. Horns was based on the second novel by Joe Hill, the eldest son of Stephen King. After I saw the film I wanted to read the book it was based on, so I checked out my local library. While they didn’t have a copy of Horns, they did have Hill’s first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, so I picked it up.
I was not disappointed.
Heart-Shaped Box is the story of Judas Coyne, an aging heavy-metal musician with a taste for the macabre. Long past touring (and dealing with his own personal demons, which include the deaths of his former band members) Coyne spends his days on his ranch with manager Danny and live-in not-quite-girlfriend Georgia, surrounded by his dogs and his collection of occult memorabilia. When Coyne receives an email about an online auction for a soul, he can’t resist and buys the suit supposedly containing the dead man’s soul. (The suit arrives in the titular heart-shaped box.) Coyne is unprepared when he realizes that not only does the suit actually contain the dead man’s soul, that soul is unhappy and bent on revenge.
One of the things I loved about Horns was the portrayal of the main character, warts and all. In Horns we’re supposed to be rooting for Ig Perrish, only Perrish is such an unpleasant character rooting for him is difficult. Hill uses the same technique here. While Coyne is supposed to be the good guy, he spends much of the story being indifferent-bordering-on-viscious to everyone around him, be they his longtime manager, short-time girlfriend, or family member. Coyne is filled with so much hate, and he spews it out so indiscriminately that’s hard to root for him. He’s a fully realized character, whose journey is ultimately satisfying in spite of his flaws. Strong characterization is a hallmark of Stephen King’s books, and it’s nice to see Hill take those best parts of his father’s writing and update them. While the book is a little slow in places (the last third of the story is one long road trip and I can only read so much about people driving from Point A to Point B) the horror is genuine, and several times in the novel you’re wondering who will be left alive, if anyone.
I can think of no better praise for an artist than to want to consume all their art, which is how I feel with Hill. I’ve watched a movie based on one of his books and read another of his books, but it’s not enough. There’s more content to explore and I won’t stop until I’ve read through Hill’s entire canon. Like a rock star ending a song on a high note, Hill’s novels leaves me wanting more. Can’t wait for the next trip to the library.
tl;drs
Blank is a blanker version of blank: Heart-Shaped Box is like a horror version of The Osbournes.
Recommended if you like: Stephen King novels, strong characterization
Better than I expected: Judas Coyne is such a fully realized character. While ostensibly the protagonist, he’s also a miserable excuse for a human being, making rooting for him…interesting.
Worse than I hoped: The middle drags on a bit, although on a whole the book is a pretty quick read.
Heart-Shaped Box would work better as a(n): movie? It’d be nice to see the script get out of development hell. I even agree with Hill’s assessment of casting Russel Crowe as Coyne.
Verdict: Solid first novel from the man with a pedigree in horror.
