Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.
At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.
Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.
But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .
The Review
Horns is the first Joe Hill book that I've read and I must say, the old adage "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is quite accurate in this instance. For the readers who didn't know, Joe Hill is the son of the master of horror, Stephen King. I didn't want to begin this review with comparisons between father and son, but feel that at least as far as this novel is concerned, I just can't help it. Ig Perrish is a young man whose girlfriend and soul mate had been recently raped and murdered. Despite his innocence, the people of his town believe him to be the perpetrator of the horrible crime against Merrin, a beloved member of the community. Through Ig we have access to the most horrible, grotesque and often humorous thought processes of the people whom we think we know best. Is the esteemed Catholic priest you've known since you were a child really as innocent and spiritually pure? Does your own grandmother truly feel affection for you? For me, the best aspect of the book is the trait of honesty it imbues upon Ig's friends, neighbors and enemies; after all, most people want people to tell them exactly what they think without considering what truth they may get. Throughout the progression of this novel we meet all kind of people--good, evil and those that fall somewhere in between. The one thing that I hated was the animal abuse which features several times thoughout. (But there's also a really amazing animal aspect that almost made up for it.) Hill manages to portray disturbing scenes and characters with the finesse and crystal clarity of the master himself, and even at sometimes almost even more nightmare inducing. King is known for his ability to engage a reader's own imagination, turning one's own mind into a weapon against himself, digging out their darkest and deepest fears without necessarily saying anything too specific or graphic. Horns manages to accomplish this feat as well, but is also more descriptive. The scenes are so vivid tha I was exclaiming aloud, cursing the characters, and amen-ing the gospel of Iggy. Hill managed to make me feel such a broad scale of emotions that I felt as if I need to visit a therapist because never have I felt such rage, heartache and a very fucked up sense of glee that blossomed in my spirit seemingly all at once. Horns is very much a murder mystery with a hardened fantasy/horror edge that is sharp enough to draw blood without taking over the story. (Also, after finishing I decided that Iggy Perrish and Danny Torrance need to be BFF's.) The pacing of the novel is perfect, although at times (especially the young Ig flashbacks) tended to seem to go on for a very long time. That isn't a bad thing in and of itself, because without them I don't know that I'd feel as strongly about Iggy or any of the other characters. If you're looking for a flimsy book that lacks in soul--don't pick this up. The gritty and raw heart and soul of Horns demands full attention and while it is by no means a "heavy" read, I personally did get sucked into Iggy's world enough that I cried, I screamed, I laughed and I hated right along with him. I think this is one of the best books that I've picked up recently, placing it rather high on my rating spectrum. Horns is definitely a book I recommend to anyone who has ever felt cynical and powerless in a world that just wants to eat us softies alive.
