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I don't believe in hauntings and they don't tend to frighten me. So you might wonder why I even picked this book up. It's a first book, and it seemed wildly unlike my usual reading matter, but not knowing sometimes works best. I was hooked within a few pages. Joe Hill is a really good writer, who got me to care about the characters in this novel very quickly and with ease. He creates Judas Coyne, who, by all measures, should be wholly unlikable; he's a former metal rock star, into the whole rock star power trips, sex, drugs, girls (not women). While Coyne is just hanging out at home, no longer performing, he seems to be propping up his stage presence with a collection of gruesome creepy artifacts. It sure enhanced his rocker image but now that he's living like a normal person, it seems odd and out of place. Coyne's father is dying and he doesn't really care about that too much either. You can see why – the two of them are both wrecks, harsh, unloving, abusive people. Back when Judas was a boy, then known as Justin, his father broke his hand to stop him from playing guitar. Yuck. So why would I keep reading? Because something told me that Jude (Judas Coyne he's known as) was salvageable and something else just drew me on. Yes, he's sleazy metal rock star has-been – he is that pretty definitely, but he wasn't always and the way he's presented to us, it's pretty clear he's not all that scuzzy. Or he doesn't have to be. His behavior stinks (it's easier to name the women around him by the state they are from, currently 'Georgia' lives with him) and he's gotten very comfortable being waited on and adored. It seems rather natural for Judas to "buy" a ghost; it's such a perfect addition to his creepy collection. The item is offered on an on-line auction site (and given that we've all probably heard stories about silly or strange items up for sale, from dust bunnies to someone's virginity, why not a ghost?) But this ghost, which appears to Judas, is quite malevolent. And it turns out the two have someone in common, a young woman who kept company with Judas for a while. When she was no longer fun, but seemed pretty depressed, Judas essentially shipped her home. And Florida, whose real name was Anna May, committed suicide. The ghost, Craddock, was her stepfather. He was sent along by Jessica, Anna's sister, who holds Jude responsible for what happened. Craddock has a fair amount of power and things go rapidly downhill. Georgia's finger, which she pricked on a simple pin in Craddock's suit, is infected badly and won't heal. Coyne finds himself acting in very destructive ways, even more than he might have when he was a top rock star, and has to fight against Craddock's control, pushing him to try murdering Georgia (Marybeth is her real name). Craddock can control the steering of a vehicle, televisions and radios, send images and messages, and spook the dogs. He is a very strong enemy. He can use televisions and radios to speak to Jude and Georgia and he comes close to taking them over. Holy smoke! I had to check that this was a first book because it's so well written. It captured my attention right off and I read it pretty much without a break, and this isn't even a form of fiction I normally read. I don't do horror. Hill maintains suspense very well. I truly wanted to know what happened throughout the story and if Georgia and Jude survive, intact or changed. They travel from New York, where they live, to the town Anna comes from, and learn a little more about the real world. It works, all of it. The dialogue is convincing, the creepy story plausible within its own definition and there are no loose ends at the resolution. This is one hugely talented author In order to read HEART SHAPED BOX, you have to throw off a lot of disbelief, but it's worth it. Even if you don't believe in ghosts, it's not hard to make exceptions for really good writing and well-defined characters. I'll be awfully interested to see what Hill writes next.
Reviewed by Andi Shechter, September 2007
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