Horns: A NovelJoe Hill
William Morrow, Feb 2010
ISBN: 978-0061147951
Joe Hill has followed up his supernatural debut novel Heart Shaped Box with a new story that combines a sordid tale of murder and revenge but includes mediations on religion and a closer examination of the true purpose of the Devil. Far from a slump, Horns represents a massive step forward in Hill’s work, and is an absolute must read for horror fans.
On the eve of the anniversary of his girlfriend’s rape and murder, Ignatius Perrish wakes up after a night of blackout level drinking to a problem. While you or I may get hammered and bow down before the porcelain god, Ig’s got something much worse to contend with. . A pair of horns protrudes from his forehead. Even worse, people don’t seem all that freaked out by Ig’s horns. Instead, everyone find themselves confiding the skeletons buried in their closets and seeking his approval to act on their confessed base desires.
As mentioned, Ignatius longtime girlfriend Merrin had been raped and murdered a year ago. Ig had been the primary suspect but was released due to a lack of evidence. Unfortunately for him, the court of public opinion had decided on his guilt long ago. His new powers allow him to discover the horrible truth behind Merrin’s murder. Hill’s not out to write a whodunit, and we learn the identity of the criminal fairly early on. Hill sets out on writing a revenge tale, one steeped in the hard-boiled crime stories of exploitation. The story is steeped in violence, and Hill has a knack for describing details of bones crunching that leaves the reader wincing with his own imagined injuries. Hill leaps from the present to Ig’s childhood and back, providing the back story and motivations for Merrin’s murder. He's able to elicit sympathy for Ig here, as prior to Merrin's murder he was a great kid, an amnesty International volunteer with a sweet streak and tempermant that left friends asking "WWID?" in times of crisis. We see the full impact of how Merrin's murder sent him off the rails into a barely functional, god cursing drunkard prior to waking up with his new horns.
The confession scenes provide for some of the more psychologically scary moments in the book. While it might seem handy to know anyone’s secrets and desires, and be able to influence their actions with a few simple words, their brutal honesty leave Ignatius at the edge of madness. Store clerks confess the desire to push their Alzheimer stricken spouse down the basement stairs and run off with a mistress. A spoiled child claims she wants to burn her mother alive. Worst are the reactions from his family. His parents casually tell him they believe he’s guilty of the murder and just wish he go away, that his presence sickens them. His mother reminisces on the easy money days of her call girl past, where her shapely figure earned her an easy $5000 for a night with a sultan-and that she’s always resented Ig for ruining her body in childbirth.
Horns has an interesting take on the Devil and his place in the world. Ignatius subtly but unmistakably sheds his more human traits and evolves into the Devil incarnate. There’s the tell tale signs of snakes that seem to follow him everywhere. A handy pitchfork appears in his new hideout. There’s the matter of him becoming able to breathe smoke, and events leading his skin to take on a more reddish hue. As he physically changes Ignatius ponders whether the Devil is truly evil. As he sees it, if God hates sin, and Satan punishes sinners, aren’t the two of them fighting the same cause rather than fighting on opposite sides of the war? Even as Ig doles out “advice” to those confessing to him, he’s still looking out for the best interests of others.
Horns is a terrific read. It rarely drags, and is one of those “one more chapter” books that you’ll blow through in a day because it’s impossible to put down!
