Heart-Shaped Box (novel)
| Heart-Shaped Box | |
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 Cover of US edition |
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| Author(s) | Joe Hill |
| Cover artist | Susan Young |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror fiction |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Publication date | February 13, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 406 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-114793-7 |
| OCLC Number | 69734622 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.6 22 |
| LC Classification | PS3608.I4342 H43 2007 |
| Preceded by | 20th Century Ghosts |
| Followed by | Locke & Key |
Heart-Shaped Box (2007) is the debut horror novel of author Joe Hill.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Aging rock star Judas Coyne spends his retirement collecting morbid memorabillia such as a witch's confession, a real snuff film and, after being sent an e-mail directly about the item online, a dead man's suit. He is told, by the daughter, that the old man's spirit is attached to this funeral suit. The ghost will go wherever it does and so buying this suit would effectively be buying a poltergeist; Judas cannot pass up this opportunity.
The suit soon arrives in a heart-shaped box. Various odd occurrences alert Judas to the fact that the ghost is dangerous and is out to kill him and those around him. His assistant, Danny Wooten realizes that the ghost of the suit will try to kill everyone round Jude. He leaves Jude's service, but not before contacting the woman who sent the suit. Jude finds out that the ghost was the father of a groupie, Florida (it is later revealed that her real name is Anna), whom he dated for a few months and who had later committed suicide. The ghost wanted revenge on Jude for causing Anna's death, as he saw it. His current girlfriend, Georgia (whose name is actually Marybeth), refuses to leave and together they run from the house with the ghost chasing them.
The ghost's intention is to keep Jude away from his two dogs, Angus and Bon, as it turns out that dogs, as familiars, can protect their owners from the dead. But Georgia insists on taking the dogs with them. The animals save the couple several times, but the ghost eventually manages to kill both dogs. Jude and Georgia investigate and find out the true story about Florida. She did not commit suicide because of the breakup between her and Jude. Florida had many emotional problems and Jude had tried to help her but, in the end, he gave up.
The reason she was so unstable was that she was being hypnotized and molested by her stepfather, the now dead and ghostly, Craddock McDermott. When Florida left Jude she had nowhere to go but back to her twisted family, but eventually she threatened to contact Jude to have him help her escape the incestuous relationship and file charges against Craddock and her elder sister, Jessica. They drove her to suicide to prevent her from doing so. At a later point, Craddock, a man knowledgeable in the dark arts, realized he was dying and planned with Jessica to get revenge on Judas. They believed that Judas had "ruined" Florida by making her reject her family and their incest. Craddock hexed the suit; once he was dead, Jessica set the plan in motion. After a series of gory battles between Judas Coyne and Craddock McDermott, Georgia finds the way to bring Florida back from the grave and help Jude fight her stepfather. In the end, the evil Craddock is vanquished, freeing Jude and Georgia from his cruel curse. The two make it through the horrendous event and happily marry.
[edit] Publication
Hill received a great deal of attention with the publication of Heart-Shaped Box. Subterranean Press published the advance edition of 500 copies and they sold out within days, long before publication. The limited signed and numbered 200 copies and 15 lettered copies are sought after by Joe Hill book collectors. A second printing of the limited edition was announced by Subterranean Press on April 14, 2007 and released in May 2007. The second printing sold out within hours of being announced. Hill went on an international tour promoting his book which ended in April 2007.
His previous book, 20th Century Ghosts, was only available through a UK publisher and was printed in very limited quantities (1,700 copies in total, 700 of which are signed).
Heart-Shaped Box peaked on The New York Times bestseller list at #8 [1], and has been reviewed by the New York Times[2] and Time magazine.[3]
[edit] References to music
Throughout the book there are several references to hard rock, heavy metal, punk, blues and country.
- The title is the name of a Nirvana song.
- The character Judas' name can be a reference to the band Judas Priest. His nickname, Jude, could be a reference to The Beatles' "Hey Jude". And his surname, Coyne, could be a reference to Wayne Coyne, singer of the band The Flaming Lips. The character's name is also a possible reference to Judas Iscariot and his betrayal of Christ for thirty silver coins.
- Judas' dogs are named Angus and Bon, after Angus Young and Bon Scott of AC/DC; and Jimmy and Robert, after Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.
- AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is referred to as well.
- Jude also enjoys playing Lynyrd Skynyrd.
- Each part of the book is named after a rock song: "Black Dog" (Led Zeppelin), "Ride On" (AC/DC), "Hurt" (Nine Inch Nails), and "Alive" (Pearl Jam).
- Judas' assistant is named Danny Wooten, which could be a reference to the bassist Victor Wooten.
- Coldplay's song "Yellow" and "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" by Nirvana are mentioned in the book.
- The bands My Chemical Romance, Foo Fighters, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Mötley Crüe, Metallica, Rancid, Anthrax and musicians Johnny Cash, John Bonham, John Prine, Joey Ramone, Chuck Berry, Trent Reznor and Ozzy Osbourne are also mentioned in the book.
- The Beatles' song "I Am the Walrus" is mentioned by the character.
- Johnny Cash is mentioned in connection to the ghost's suit.
- Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" is referred to.
- Jackson Browne is mentioned by the character in the book, once as a memory (Jude meets him early in his own music career) and once when the character (Jude) mistakes a police detective visiting his hospital room for the famous musician.
[edit] Adaptations
The film rights to Heart-Shaped Box have been acquired by Warner Bros Studios; the film is to be scripted and directed by Irish director Neil Jordan and produced by Akiva Goldsman.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. April 8, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/books/bestseller/0408besthardfiction.html.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (February 8, 2007). "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Clothes Make The Man Scared". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E4D9103FF93BA35751C0A9619C8B63.
- ^ Grossman, Lev (February 9, 2007). "The Son Also Frightens". Time. http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1587666,00.html.
- ^ "Jordan will build 'Box' for Warners". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i24f58f9705c1a288fbb70a9ce94d51e1.[dead link]
[edit] External links
- Joe Hill's personal website
- Read a Heart-Shaped Box excerpt online
- Time Magazine review of Heart-Shaped Box
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