Horns by Joe Hill

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Horns by Joe Hill



                Ignatius Perrish got rip roaring drunk on the one year anniversary of the death of his girlfriend Merrin. She had been bashed in the head with a rock, raped and left to die in the woods. Ig was the only suspect and even though he was never charged with her murder, he remained a person of interest and everyone in his home town believed he did it. He went back to the place her body was found, destroyed all of the memorials placed there in her honor, pissed on his own feet and now, the next day has no idea how he got home. He also has no idea why he has small horns coming from the top of his head. Or why people kept telling him things that they would never say out loud, let alone confide to the guy they believed capable of murder. Yet here they were, everyone he encountered, spilling their guts. That’s how he found out who really killed Merrin. Now all Ignatius wants is a way to make that person pay for the pain he felt. The horns were the answer. The horns were the way.
                This novel was a very dark, intense, suspenseful mystery. It was so easy for me to fall into this book. Ignatius felt like a wronged character from the beginning, so when I realized he was coming into his own I got excited. I wanted to see him be a bad ass. I wanted to see him embrace the horns and open up a can of whoop ass, which he does ever so methodically. I think the love story between Ignatius and Merrin added a certain necessary level of depth. His need for revenge had to feel real. The love between the two characters, the future that was in store for them and the reasons why everything went south, all felt real. They were well crafted and smart characters. All of the characters were for the most part and their experiences with Ig and his horns said a lot about human nature. I almost feel like the horns in itself became a character. As much as Ig embodied the change, the more the horns took over Ig and started influencing his character. The horns were such a great tool and mystery throughout the story. Was Ignatius really turning into a devil, or some demon? Questions regarding that were slowly revealed in the plot which helped moved the story along.

                Hill chose to write this novel in the third person which worked incredibly well for this story. Ig is a great character to follow and observe. His inner workings while revealed didn’t need to be a constant factor. Looking from the outside in simply made this more fun. It also allowed Hill to observe some of the other outlying characters as well. Hill also has great comedic timing. This novel was full of moments that caught you off guard because of the dark comedy littered within. Horns kept me entertained, kept me turning the pages and kept me invested. This was another really well done novel by Hill. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. 

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