Heart-Shaped Box: A Book Review

Heart-Shaped Box: A Book Review

**Spoilers**

I just got done reading this yesterday. It was the second book I've read by Joe Hill who just so happens to be the great Stephen King's son. He has yet to disappoint me! I discovered him when I saw a trailer for the Daniel Radcliffe movie Horns which I found out was based on a novel. I quickly got the book with the same title and read it in only three days before the movie was actually released. That is for a different time though, I want to review his first published novel Heart-Shaped Box.

Unfortunately this took me a while to read. Not because it was dull, but because I was one. very busy with work and doing things at home. and two. because i'm weaving in and out of my book reading phase. This book was a real page turner and kept you on the edge of your seat wanting more. You'd predict one thing to happen but then something entirely different happens. It wasn't as horror contented as others had said in Facebook groups. It did however have it's fair share of extremely creepy moments within. It is based on a former rock-star named Judas Coyne and how he was blamed for the suicide of a girl named Anna by her family.

**Spoiler Alert**

When Anna's stepfather died, he tethered himself to a black suit in which Anna's sister Jesse put on an online selling site and tricked Jude into purchasing. The ghost of Craddock starts to haunt him and pick off his loved ones. He and his girlfriend Marybeth, also known as Georgia go on a road trip with his two dogs who were his protectors against this ghost to Jesse's house with an intent to force her to release the ghost from dwelling on him.

Many skeletons in the family's closet were released throughout this book and it took many turns. The part that haunts me is how when Jude and Marybeth are at his childhood farm where his father is on his death bed, Craddock shoves himself down his father's throat and possesses his body to try and physically kill the two of them. The other sad notion of this novel is both of his dogs get killed.

The book does have a happy ending. More bittersweet than anything. After Marybeth and Jude recover in the hospital from the horrific events and Craddock's demise, they move on and settle down together in a good life of traveling, love, and puppies. With Jessie's daughter stopping to say hello and show her gratitude for what they've done for her. She also apologized for things she had done to Jude and wished them well. There were no hard feelings between them and he even bought her a bus ticket to escape her bad memories.

The characters were very well written. Their pasts are mentioned to get a sense of the soul of the main characters. I found them completely able to relate to on different levels and could express empathy for what each of them have gone through. I would definitely recommend this book to fellow readers. I absolutely loved this one and was happy to add it to my collection. Now I want to check out more of his work.