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kleonard's review against another edition
4.0
On the surface, this is a surreal story in which the living can be haunted and possessed by the dead, create walking, talking, cogent pigs that will slaughter and package up their own kind in a meat factory, there are people who can remove their own hearts to stay safe from the ghosts, but lose their memories as well, and aliens, and all sorts of other supernatural things. Below that surface, though, this is a book about innate talent and what it can give to and take away from those who have it. It's also about race, and how white society, no matter what class, is always on the lookout for the Other, in order to oppose and oppress it. It's also about class and social status and whether you eat this week or fix the car you need for your job. It's about creating underclasses to do the worst work, and what happens when the underclass becomes too successful. It's about domestic abuse and taking or abandoning responsibilities. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's a book that can be read in a great many ways, and would be excellent as a class read for high school.
samsoliloquy's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very well crafted and asked fascinating questions about what it means to be haunted by the past and what it takes to let it all go. A very dark and depressing read that managed to end in a very hopeful and light way. I will enjoy pondering this books questions long after I have finished it.
bluecanary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ghost_of_a_car's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
diothyst's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Starting this book I expected a fairly straightforward ghost story but what this book ended up being was far beyond that. It turned into a dark, tense horror that left me turning each page quicker than the last looking for the resolution and the one we get is so far from the one that is expected.
Set in Swine Hill, a failing town only kept alive by the pig slaughtering plant, we are introduced to a family and their ghosts. Nearly every person in town is haunted by at least one ghost and Jane, Henry, and their mother are no exceptions. Hick uses ghosts in an extremely unique way, telling us how these ghosts have wants and desires and needs that guide their entire being. Jane's ghost needs secrets and conflict, Henry's ghost is desperate to keep creating new things to the point where it takes over Henry for days at a time to invent, and their mother whose ghost is so hungry for affection that she burns anyone she touches.
The story is rife with despair and greed, prejudice and racism, anger and desolation. When Henry's latest invention causes newcomers to begin working at the plant both the ghosts and the people living within the town begin to grow angry and upset and fingers turn to point at Jane and her family. What follows is a fight for survival and to rid themselves of ghosts, but every turn brings a greater consequence then Jane expects.
The book is thrilling and challenging despite the weird turns it takes and while the ending is hopeful and the best case scenario it still leaves you sad for each of the characters and what this ending means for them.
Set in Swine Hill, a failing town only kept alive by the pig slaughtering plant, we are introduced to a family and their ghosts. Nearly every person in town is haunted by at least one ghost and Jane, Henry, and their mother are no exceptions. Hick uses ghosts in an extremely unique way, telling us how these ghosts have wants and desires and needs that guide their entire being. Jane's ghost needs secrets and conflict, Henry's ghost is desperate to keep creating new things to the point where it takes over Henry for days at a time to invent, and their mother whose ghost is so hungry for affection that she burns anyone she touches.
The story is rife with despair and greed, prejudice and racism, anger and desolation. When Henry's latest invention causes newcomers to begin working at the plant both the ghosts and the people living within the town begin to grow angry and upset and fingers turn to point at Jane and her family. What follows is a fight for survival and to rid themselves of ghosts, but every turn brings a greater consequence then Jane expects.
The book is thrilling and challenging despite the weird turns it takes and while the ending is hopeful and the best case scenario it still leaves you sad for each of the characters and what this ending means for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Racism and Violence
rachxedge's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
First off, let me start by saying that this book is unique. It will mess with your mind and not in a good way. However, this translate to a book that you must read. If you are a fan of horror books than you will want to pick up a copy today.
This is a family affair. Jane and her brother, Henry were not just the only ones trying to battle the evilness that encroaches on their town. While, I did find Jane to be strong; she was not the only strong female character in this story. Bethany kicked some serious ass as well. Yet, here is where the stuff of nightmares is at...walking, talking pigs. This is what the ghost that inhibits Henry's body has him creating. Turning pigs into people. They are replacing the jobs of the townfolk.
This book is so bizarre but at the same time I could not stop reading it. Just when I thought it could not get more weirder; something else would happen in the story that would have me in awe. I can't really explain this book in a way that gives it justice, so you will just have to check it out for yourself.
This is a family affair. Jane and her brother, Henry were not just the only ones trying to battle the evilness that encroaches on their town. While, I did find Jane to be strong; she was not the only strong female character in this story. Bethany kicked some serious ass as well. Yet, here is where the stuff of nightmares is at...walking, talking pigs. This is what the ghost that inhibits Henry's body has him creating. Turning pigs into people. They are replacing the jobs of the townfolk.
This book is so bizarre but at the same time I could not stop reading it. Just when I thought it could not get more weirder; something else would happen in the story that would have me in awe. I can't really explain this book in a way that gives it justice, so you will just have to check it out for yourself.
bethtabler's review against another edition
5.0
If you would like to read more of my review check out beforewegoblog.com
Swine hill is a place that will hurt your body, wrack your soul at the altar of human selfishness, and destroy you. Imagine living in this place. Imagine working at the store or a packing plant here. Imagine having to share part of your soul with the undead. Hick's characters do, and for a short time, we readers also do. Hick's has invented a story that is so rife with pain, imagination, and horrors that if you could take the spawn of Dr. Moreau and The Haunting of Hill House you would have something close to this. Haunt is unsettling in ways that made me uncomfortable deep down in my bones.
Hicks explores the premise of a haunted family in a haunted town. It centers around the protagonists Jane and Henry. Brother and sister trapped with the souls of unsettled ghosts inside them. In Jane's case, it is the soul of a woman who thrives on conflict and secrets. The spirit silently whispers to jane the horrible thoughts and intentions of those around her. Henry has the ghost of a mad inventor inside him seeking to create incredible and awful machines whose purpose is sometimes unknown. The pair is also influenced by their mother and father, both haunted. Her mother is haunted by a person so craving affection that her body physically radiates heat. Enough to burn and scar. Jane is the heart of the family. Silently she pounds away at life and looks after her family as best as she can within the circumstances.
The crux of the story rests around Henry and how his mad ghost creates things. This time Henry invents pig people. Upright human-like animals that are built to self-slaughter and could eventually render the town and by extension humans obsolete. Henry creates many, but individually we meet Hog Boss and his kind son Dennis. Both are good-natured and thoughtful people set at deliberate juxtaposition to the rest of the "human" inhabitants of the town. Enter the fearful townsfolk, frightened of the unknown, in both the pig people and the loss of their livelihood. What happens next can only be described as an explosive clash between the old ways and the new all within the context of Jane attempting to save people.
The setting in the story is unrestrainedly unworldly. The writing drips darkness and moisture from every page and sometimes, I could swear my kindle was fogging up from the cold. Hicks absolutely has created a world where you should be very afraid that ghosts will settle in your bones.
The underlying theme of this story is relationships: sister to brother, mother to son, lover to lover. In this, it is the immense power of links that can drive a person to the unthinkable or the extraordinary. What would I do for the person I love? What would I do to the person I hate? Person to person a spiderweb of narrative and relationships is created. This web holds the town together and eventually culminating in it blasting apart.
Behind the relationship web and narrative, Hicks also remarks on social problems. Racism, sexism, classicism and the dehumanization of immigrants in the United States are allegorically reflected upon. This adds another critical dimension to the story. It is more profound than ghosts or pigs. It is so much more.
It is poignantly cruel that these characters, so afflicted, must also contend with the worst problems we see in our own world. Hicks will unflinchingly show you the horrific visage of ghosts and nightmares pulled from the headlines of our own world, leaving you to wonder whether one lot is truly fundamentally worse than the other. And yet, perhaps it is true that they who would grow must first be made to suffer. Certainly, the growth we see in these characters is the result of a purposefully built set of trials and woes; it is not an easy journey for us to follow but it rewards us as only a master-crafted tale can.
Things get harsh and really painful for the characters in this story. I know I have alluded to it vaguely, but I don't want to give away the cleverness of the story. It is scary, mystical, and bittersweet. It absolutely deserves all of the forthcoming awards that are going to be thrown at it. If you are a fan of the horror/bizarro genre, look no further than this book, but even more so if you are a fan of the written word and the power it can wield, this is a worthy read.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.
Swine hill is a place that will hurt your body, wrack your soul at the altar of human selfishness, and destroy you. Imagine living in this place. Imagine working at the store or a packing plant here. Imagine having to share part of your soul with the undead. Hick's characters do, and for a short time, we readers also do. Hick's has invented a story that is so rife with pain, imagination, and horrors that if you could take the spawn of Dr. Moreau and The Haunting of Hill House you would have something close to this. Haunt is unsettling in ways that made me uncomfortable deep down in my bones.
Hicks explores the premise of a haunted family in a haunted town. It centers around the protagonists Jane and Henry. Brother and sister trapped with the souls of unsettled ghosts inside them. In Jane's case, it is the soul of a woman who thrives on conflict and secrets. The spirit silently whispers to jane the horrible thoughts and intentions of those around her. Henry has the ghost of a mad inventor inside him seeking to create incredible and awful machines whose purpose is sometimes unknown. The pair is also influenced by their mother and father, both haunted. Her mother is haunted by a person so craving affection that her body physically radiates heat. Enough to burn and scar. Jane is the heart of the family. Silently she pounds away at life and looks after her family as best as she can within the circumstances.
The crux of the story rests around Henry and how his mad ghost creates things. This time Henry invents pig people. Upright human-like animals that are built to self-slaughter and could eventually render the town and by extension humans obsolete. Henry creates many, but individually we meet Hog Boss and his kind son Dennis. Both are good-natured and thoughtful people set at deliberate juxtaposition to the rest of the "human" inhabitants of the town. Enter the fearful townsfolk, frightened of the unknown, in both the pig people and the loss of their livelihood. What happens next can only be described as an explosive clash between the old ways and the new all within the context of Jane attempting to save people.
The setting in the story is unrestrainedly unworldly. The writing drips darkness and moisture from every page and sometimes, I could swear my kindle was fogging up from the cold. Hicks absolutely has created a world where you should be very afraid that ghosts will settle in your bones.
The underlying theme of this story is relationships: sister to brother, mother to son, lover to lover. In this, it is the immense power of links that can drive a person to the unthinkable or the extraordinary. What would I do for the person I love? What would I do to the person I hate? Person to person a spiderweb of narrative and relationships is created. This web holds the town together and eventually culminating in it blasting apart.
Behind the relationship web and narrative, Hicks also remarks on social problems. Racism, sexism, classicism and the dehumanization of immigrants in the United States are allegorically reflected upon. This adds another critical dimension to the story. It is more profound than ghosts or pigs. It is so much more.
It is poignantly cruel that these characters, so afflicted, must also contend with the worst problems we see in our own world. Hicks will unflinchingly show you the horrific visage of ghosts and nightmares pulled from the headlines of our own world, leaving you to wonder whether one lot is truly fundamentally worse than the other. And yet, perhaps it is true that they who would grow must first be made to suffer. Certainly, the growth we see in these characters is the result of a purposefully built set of trials and woes; it is not an easy journey for us to follow but it rewards us as only a master-crafted tale can.
Things get harsh and really painful for the characters in this story. I know I have alluded to it vaguely, but I don't want to give away the cleverness of the story. It is scary, mystical, and bittersweet. It absolutely deserves all of the forthcoming awards that are going to be thrown at it. If you are a fan of the horror/bizarro genre, look no further than this book, but even more so if you are a fan of the written word and the power it can wield, this is a worthy read.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.
izcro's review against another edition
4.0
This book was SO WEIRD, but I found myself really enjoying it.