Coffee and Contemplation: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Our discussion this week is about “Hear-Shaped Box” by Joe Hill. This was Hill’s debut novel, and you can see the influences from his father, Stephen King. The story gives a new, modern twist to the haunting story. The main character, Judas Coyne, buys a ghost on the internet. Turns out, the ghost is real and is trying to kill Judas. We get a lot of backstory about Judas and about the ghost and its motives. It’s interesting to think about the main character chasing after spooky, macabre things at the beginning of the novel only to run away from them for the majority of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t my favorite. Hill’s next novel “Horns” is better but that’s a discussion for another post. The video static eyes of the ghost as described in the novel is an interesting visual, but it made the ghost less scary for me. The book overall wasn’t terrifying, but I don’t think it was supposed to be. It feels more action/adventure than horror. It was a fun read. I liked all the characters, especially Judas’ two dogs. This book is good for teens and adults, though some parents may want to check it out before their children beginning reading. 

I do recommend this book, but it’s not my favorite by Joe Hill.

Spooky Spider Scale (How scary was the book?): 6/10 spiders 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️

Overall rating: 4 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐