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Joe Hill
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Genre
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Media
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Book
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Publisher | Gollancz | ||
ISBN | 978-057508186 | ||
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Reviewer
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Gareth
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Synopsis
'Buy my stepfather's ghost' read the e-mail. So Jude did. He bought it, in the shape of the dead man's suit, delivered in a heart-shaped box, because he wanted it: because his fans ate up that kind of story. It was perfect for his collection: the genuine skulls and the bones, the real honest-to-God snuff movie, the occult books and all the rest of the paraphanalia that goes along with his kind of hard/goth rock. But the rest of his collection doesn't make the house feel cold. The bones don't make the dogs bark; the movie doesn't make Jude feel as if he's being watched. And none of the artefacts bring a vengeful old ghost with black scribbles over his eyes out of the shadows to chase Jude out of his home, and make him run for his life ...
Review
From a simple premise comes the creepiest and most unnerving read I've had in a long time. Neil Gaiman was right when he said that Heart Shaped Box is the most assured debut since Clive Barkers The Damnation Game.
I'll be honest and say that it took me a while to get into this novel, but I'm really glad I gave it the time because it paid dividends! I found the character of Jude grating at first, and I think that's intentional - but as the story develops I saw the reasons why he became the way he did and by the end of the story I actually really cared for him and Marybeth -and if that isn't the sign of a good writer, then I don't know what is.
The descriptions and mood that Joe Hill creates are both sublime and disturbing, I was almost transfixed to each page not wanting to close the book (another sign of a great writer), cursing when I had to answer the phone or when my lunch break stopped.
I've started to read 20th Century Ghosts - Joe Hill's collection of short stories. I was hooked from the first page and can't wait to see what other twisted delights are in store for me - watch this space!!
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