Book Review: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

I was almost finished reading Heart-Shaped Box, a story of ghostly revenge, when I discovered, via Neil Gaiman's blog, that the author, Joe Hill is, in fact, Joe Hill King, originally from Maine. The revelation left me temporarily speechless. What am I going to say about this book, now that using the inevitable Stephen King analogies seems gauche at best? Because, that feeling, that echo, was there, several times during my ignorant reading of the book. A description of sex here, the small details of characterization there - something about it, something more than the mood of incipient terror, reminded me of all the Stephen King I read back in my formative years. (I suspect that I, too, have a lot of my parents' accents and mannerisms.)

Ultimately, though, Hill's lineage is a matter of trivia rather than importance. Heart-Shaped Box is a book that stands on its own. Hill has created a raucous, rocking and ultimately life-affirming story about aging and regret. Judas Coyne is heavy metal rock star who has outlived his peers and lost his enthusiasm for, well, everything. Idly, he orders a ghost from the internet, just another morbid curio for his collection of nooses and John Wayne Gacy sketches.

Inevitably, Jude gets more than what he bargained for. The ghost, it turns out, is no Casper. It is angry, and its anger is specifically intended for Jude. This isn't just any ghost; this is a ghost from Jude's past come back to haunt him. A ghost that can piggyback radio broadcasts and hypnnotize him, planting suggestions of violence. Quickly, we learn that the ghost is capable of doing real, physical harm, even if the victim doesn't cooperate and do the job for it.

The book has a mood of ominous foreboding. Hill kills off a character early on in the book, leaving the reader with a distinct sense that no one is safe. The mood never leaves, even as the plot careens like an out-of-control semi. Although this is in many ways a relatively straightforward, traditional ghost story (of the kind told around a campfire), Hill never lets the reader get comfortable. Just when the danger seems routine, a new threat reveals itself. When Jude seems sympathetic, we're reminded of the snuff film in his collection. And when the ghost's origin seems psychotically vengeful, Hill makes you question that, too.

Article Author: Bonnie

Bonnie writes about books every Thursday at Fourth-Rate Reader, about everything else at Signifying Nothing, and sometimes she resorts to pictures. She lives in Toronto.

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