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A review by _thelitlibrarian
Horns by Joe Hill
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.50 stars
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TW; Rape, Death, Murder, Sexual Content, Cancer, Cursing, Sexual Assault, Suicide Attempt.
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Ig Perrish hasn't always had the easiest life with being accused of murdering his longtime girlfriend Merrin. With all the evidence being destroyed, the whole town thinks he's done it and is upset that he was born into a privileged family and seemingly got away with murder. After (another) night of drinking, he wakes up with a hangover and horns that are suddenly sprouting from his head? The new growths come with a gift; anyone he talks to will say what they really think and mean. This creates an uproar in his life as he realizes no one is really on his side.
As a huge Joe Hill lover, this was a rough review to write. I loved the concept of the story - but felt it just dragged on a little too long. Although the horns concept was neat, I preferred the flashbacks to when Ig didn't have them. There was a lot of backstory and buildup between his relationship with Merrin, I understand that by saying that, the book would have been something completely different. I still have a hard time trying to figure out what kind of book this was meant to be, is Ig suddenly on a revenge streak? Is he trying to get to the bottom of the case? He didn't have as much growth as I had wanted to have, and I feel like his name wasn't really clear in the end.
What did I love? The flashbacks made me think of Stephen King in his younger days and goes to show that Joe learned a lot from his father. I also loved the humor in the book; for such a serious concept, there were many times I found myself chuckling out loud at something that happened in the story.
-
TW; Rape, Death, Murder, Sexual Content, Cancer, Cursing, Sexual Assault, Suicide Attempt.
-
Ig Perrish hasn't always had the easiest life with being accused of murdering his longtime girlfriend Merrin. With all the evidence being destroyed, the whole town thinks he's done it and is upset that he was born into a privileged family and seemingly got away with murder. After (another) night of drinking, he wakes up with a hangover and horns that are suddenly sprouting from his head? The new growths come with a gift; anyone he talks to will say what they really think and mean. This creates an uproar in his life as he realizes no one is really on his side.
As a huge Joe Hill lover, this was a rough review to write. I loved the concept of the story - but felt it just dragged on a little too long. Although the horns concept was neat, I preferred the flashbacks to when Ig didn't have them. There was a lot of backstory and buildup between his relationship with Merrin, I understand that by saying that, the book would have been something completely different. I still have a hard time trying to figure out what kind of book this was meant to be, is Ig suddenly on a revenge streak? Is he trying to get to the bottom of the case? He didn't have as much growth as I had wanted to have, and I feel like his name wasn't really clear in the end.
What did I love? The flashbacks made me think of Stephen King in his younger days and goes to show that Joe learned a lot from his father. I also loved the humor in the book; for such a serious concept, there were many times I found myself chuckling out loud at something that happened in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Cancer, Cursing, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt