Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Joe Hill’s novel, Horns, is a terrific page-turner, and will soon become a major motion picture starring Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe. Ignatius “Ig” Perrish awakens one morning with a wicked hangover and horns growing out of his head! This is the last thing he needs, because he has many other problems in his life at the moment. For starters, his former girlfriend was recently raped and murdered by an unknown perpetrator, and to top it all off, everyone thinks he did it, although the police never found enough evidence to charge him with anything. Are these problems of his related in any way, or is this guy just generally unlucky?
I don’t know about you, but when I read the synopsis for this book, I thought, Wow, that sounds like something worth reading. It sounds bizarre and sinister, but potentially very entertaining. So I looked into it a bit more, and it turns out, Joe Hill is the pen name of Joseph King, the son of Stephen King, one of the greatest writers of the current era. Let’s just say the forbidden fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. Joe has definitely inherited some of his father’s flair for narratives. I found his writing style similar to his dad’s, but still distinctly different. Horns is based in the fictional town of Gideon, New Hampshire, much like Stephen often bases his works in the New England area. But it’s more than just that. The combination of freaky, unexplained supernatural events with the mundane activities of day-to-day life seemed very familiar, as did the subtle sense of humor.
Ig Perrish is that guy who never really appreciates what he has until it’s gone; in other words, someone we can all relate to. The best example is his previously mentioned girlfriend, Merrin Williams, the cute redhead who used to flash looks at him from across the aisle in church. When you date someone for a long time, you take for granted that they’ll always be there, until one day, they’re gone. Merrin left Ig in the worst way possible, and while he’s dealing with suddenly being alone, everyone else is pointing fingers at him.
About half the book takes place in the past to show us the events which lead up to his present circumstances, and it’s absolutely lovely to see such a beautiful relationship develop, to see two people grow up together and know that they’re perfect for each other. Between these flashbacks, we are brought back to Ig’s current predicament, i.e. the horns protruding from his forehead. Horns alone might not be too big an inconvenience, but now he can’t really talk to anybody the way he used to. Nobody really notices his horns unless he points them out, and they all feel the need to confess their most sinister thoughts and desires to him. For instance, the cop that pulls him over wants a romantic relationship with his partner, and his sweet old grandmother really hates it when he visits. Other perks of his new horns include learning things about people upon touching them, and suddenly attracting all nearby snakes.
It’s an amazingly unique story with elements of romance, comedy, mystery, science fiction, and horror. I admit, it’s a bit hard to get started, because there’s really no introduction, you just get thrown right into the story, and you don’t really understand what’s going on at first. But believe me, it all comes together in an astounding bittersweet ending that nearly drove me to tears. (Okay, I admit, I cried a little, just a little.)
I may have mentioned before that I like to read books that are going to be movies and then compare the two. Horns the movie is coming to theatres on October 11th, 2012. Like I said, Daniel Radcliffe will play Ig, and Merrin will be played by Juno Temple. I don’t really know who the other cast members are, but I encourage you to look it up on imdb if you’re curious. I’m really looking forward to the movie; it has the potential to be an excellent film if done correctly, and could be a great addition to Daniel Radcliffe’s still blossoming acting career. Incidentally, Radcliffe will be doing an American accent, which could be weird and difficult to get past, considering how well I know his true British accent. I’m a bit apprehensive about the movie as well; it’s one of those stories that people might not truly understand, and people often think badly of movies they don’t understand. It’s the kind of movie that some people will absolutely love, and others will totally hate. Regardless, October can’t come soon enough. Here’s a picture of Daniel playing Ig, with his horns.
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I haven’t read anything else written by Joe Hill, but if his other works are as good as Horns, then I probably should. Horns is edgy and bizarre, entertaining and mysterious, or as the book flap might say, “it’s a devilishly good time!” It’s keeps you rooting for the hero, and the ending really tugs on your heartstrings. Read the book if you have the time, or wait for the movie, and decide afterward if you’d like to read it.
