BOOK REVIEW: Horns by Joe Hill ★★★☆☆

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.

Son of the most infamous horror writer Stephan King, Joe Hill’s second novel Horns after Heart Shaped Box came to my attention. If I’ll be all honest the only reason I got this book out because I saw the trailer to the film adaptation. And I thought I might as well just read the book then watch the film, after all, there is more detail in a book that the film might leave out.

Ignatius Perrish wakes up and discovers he has horns on his head and with that comes powers. He can’t escape people telling him their awful thoughts and dark desires and he learns how to control their minds. This is, of course, a couple months later after his girlfriend was raped and murdered in the woods and everyone in the town suspects Ig of the crime. Living under taunts and scrutiny Ig decides to take matters into his own hands, find the man and take his revenge. He can’t find peace with anything or anyone so his one determination to find the killer and make them pay may give him his solace. But when you lose the one you love and learn some deeply hidden confession from the people closest to Ig, he executes his thirst for revenge.

This 435-page book is split into 5 parts; some in a flashback on how Ig met Merrin Williams at church, their unique and mysterious coming of age love story and another character Lee Tourneau who is a mutual friend and a part of the love triangle. Throughout the book, the reader discovers the characters past, some of their personal problems and the build to the reason behind Merrin’s rape and murder. The overall plot is tragic, beautiful, emotional and darkly humorous but what Hill does is excellently bring his characters, even the minor ones to vivid life.

It’s actually a disturbing book, full of hell and devilish imagery and how Ig deals with the horn situation and fighting his inner demon. Ig begins to look the like the devil, with the horns and the goatee although the blue skirt was unexpected. I did not find the book scary but rather suspenseful when it came down to some action and the killer mind.

This is a hard book to rate as I do have mixed emotions. I wasn’t ready for the sexual content in the book and the raw description of the rape scene. There were moments I liked, especially the flashback scenes of Ig’s and Merrins young love and them finding the tree house of the mind. But there were scenes I just couldn’t wrap my head around so I found myself not trying to read the book every day like a planned to.

There are obvious themes, religious symbolism and metaphors in Horns. Ig’s personal hell includes knowing people’s inner thoughts and unsuccessfully dealing with his girlfriends’ murder. The idea of the cherry symbolising losing virginity and the colour of Merrin’s hair fit with the book. The notion of fire cleansing the soul as Ig experiences several times in the book. The serpents that obediently follow Ig, indicate the devil's loyalty and a weapon. But the one that stuck out the most was rich and poor. There wasn’t a social divide between Ig, who came from a wealthy and famous background, and Lee from poor circumstances. They were indeed friends. But Lee’s unhealthy obsession to become the best and the earlier hints of his mental setup begin to show from his unprivileged childhood.

To summarise, I can’t say it’s a true horror novel because the other themes overshadow its genre. It’s a book that will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some find the religious theme rather exploited. However, if you are looking for a book mixed with revenge, adolescent angst and darkness, then Horns is for you.

Rating 3.5/5
Publishers: William Morrow
Publication date: March 1st 2010
Genre: Horror/Fantasy