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Heart-Shaped Box [Paperback]

Joe Hill
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Book Description

1 May 2008

'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 . . .


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Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; paperback / softback edition (1 May 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0575081864
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575081864
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.5 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 14,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"Hill's book is satisfyingly creepy and bleak, ideal for those who relish a good scare." (WATERSONES' BOOKS QUARTERLY)

"A supernatural thriller which is well written, superbly paced, convincingly plotted and populated with intriguing characters, a story that will grip you from first word to last, the embodiment of the phrase page turner, and for a first novel that's damned good going." (BLACK STATIC)

Book Description

`A compelling, spine-tingling chiller' (Harlan Coben), one of the most memorable debuts in decades

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Good buy 19 July 2010
By gaviota
Format:Hardcover
Even if Joe Hill hadn't blown his cover, you would immediately pick up on the fact that he's Stephen King's son on his writing style alone. As I was reading the book, more than once I had to stop reading and think I wasn't actually reading a Stephen King novel but his son's. The same style, even Stephen's irony which I love, is all there.
Brilliant book!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A good, pulpy read. 30 Mar 2010
Format:Paperback
I'll start by saying that I'm not a fan of Stephen King's work. I find it horribly boring and meandering.

So when I found out that his son had decided to go down the same road I was sceptical. For a long while I resisted picking anything up by Joe Hill, for reasons I can leave you to work out.

A few weeks ago curiosity got the better of me and I must say I'm glad it did.

Joe Hill doesn't write at all like his father; 'Heart Shaped Box' doesn't even sound like a book Stephen King would write, and if he did it would be at least a third longer.

The good points are many and contribute to getting it a solid four stars: the story gets started right away with minimal, but effective, characterisation; there are some very good spooky set pieces, in particular, again, in the early parts of the novel; he sticks to the point of the story and it moves along at a fair old clip.

He falls down on a few points though. The pace and feel of the first fifty pages aren't carried through the rest of the novel making it feel a little like there are two different stories bolted together (not, by any means, bad stories though). The characterisation outweighs the story towards the end too making it seem somewhat padded despite being quite a short novel as it was - there's nothing wrong with characterisation, but it became repetative.

A somewhat flawed novel, but one that I would recommend to any horror fan.

Will
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars American gothic 20 Jan 2009
Format:Paperback
I'm a big fan of supernatural horror (ie, ghosties!) and when I spotted this as a staff recommendation at my local bookshop I immediately snapped it up and went home to read it.

I loved the premise - a modern tale of an aging rock star who buys a haunted suit on the internet. So simple and so full of narrative promise.

The first few chapters were truly chilling. Jude's first encounter with the ghost - the spirit sitting quietly, head down, in an old chair outside his bedroom, Jude creeping past trying not to be noticed - resulted in a sleepless night for me. The sheer simplicity of the descriptions, the silence and the menace, were very effective. I woke the next morning and wondered if I should read the rest of the novel before sleep, or somewhere a little more public and comforting during the day. However, the remainder - and bulk - of the story, while quite compulsive, lacked the same chill factor. There were wonderful touches - particularly the ways in which the ghost tormented Jude through the radio, TV and even an electrolarynx in a crowded diner and how he climbed out of an old heart-shaped sweet box on the floor of Jude's childhood home - but it was like watching an enjoyable horror movie, enjoying the imaginative thrills but never really feeling terrified, or particularly tense.

For me, one of the narrative's weaknesses was the lack of real fear on the part of the main protagonists. If I had to imagine being relentlessly stalked by a vengeful spirit, determined to kill me and anyone who attempted to help me, I think the fright would kill me long before the ghost did. And this is what I expected to feel when reading the novel. But Jude, whilst seriously ticked off, is more than a match for his adversary. I couldn't relate to him at all or feel scared on his behalf.

Also, early on in the novel a fairly righteous reason is given for the ghost's murderous quest. Through a later twist of sorts, the real reason is revealed, and for me this lessened the novel's impact by further demonising the spirit and absolving Jude of any true wrongdoing.

Although Joe Hill presents Jude as a flawed anti-hero on the road to enlightenment and redemption, I think the novel would have been far more interesting had Jude really deserved what was chasing him.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent Read
The horror parts were not really scary to be honest but I did love the rest. The writer has a way of making us understand more about the characters as the story progresses and they... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Elif Kaya
4.0 out of 5 stars Good fast paced novel
really good face paced ghost novel --must read for all fans of the paranormal and supernatural --joe hill keeps you hooked on the plot
Published 28 days ago by Michael Kew
4.0 out of 5 stars My introduction to Mr Hill and really enjoyed...
As Joe Hill is commencing a UK tour in the near future I particularly wanted to read his first major breakthrough UK novel. Read more
Published 1 month ago by RT Twinem
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read
I enjoyed reading this. Loved the references to rock music. A modern tale with just the right level of old style ghoules. I couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jane
5.0 out of 5 stars A damn good read
Fantastic book. Great story. Genuinely found this book scary. Joe hill may be even better than is father. I would highly recommend this book
Published 2 months ago by joshua Dolan
5.0 out of 5 stars Bring it on!
Joe Hill is a real 'chip off the old block', but though he is Stephen King's son, he certainly has a style and voice of his own. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ellie
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
This was a great read....a new idea, well executed. I agree with other reviewers that it is not a pure fear type story, but the upside to that is that it becomes an interesting and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Louise
4.0 out of 5 stars THE DANGER OF INTERNET PURCHASES
While some authors write simple morality tales in which evil characters get exactly what they deserve, Joe Hill has taken us one step further. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Red Rock Bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars First Joe Hill book purchased
This is the first book that I have purchased for my Kindle. I became aware that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son from reading the "Afterword" in 11.22. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mrs S
4.0 out of 5 stars All sales are final - some more than others
Retired rock star Judas Coyne has a passion for the unusual, after years of being sent odd occult-related articles, he thinks he has found the crown & glory for his collection; a... Read more
Published 19 months ago by J. Morris
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