Saturday, May 19, 2012

Books read in 2012: No. 45 -- Heart-Shaped Box

by Joe Hill

Started: May 19
Finished: May 21

Notes: I've been in a mood for horror of late, and the debut novel of author Joe Hill has received plenty of great press. Though one might expect such from a son of Stephen King. Not that great literary talent can necessarily be inherited, but Joe definitely would have grown up in a literary household (his mother Tabitha King also being a writer) and would have to some extent been surrounded by the macabre. All of that seems to have rubbed off.

Mini review: I have been lucky as hell of late. I've been on a string of really great novels, and this is the latest of them. For long-time King fans who sometimes worry the Master of Horror might eventually retire, grow to ill to write, or heaven-forbid pass away, worry no longer. The King legacy is in fine hands. Hill's writing style is very reminiscent of his father's, though as a writer I felt it was a little easier here to see the mechanics behind the magic than it is with King, though maybe I was looking for it. I'd like to add that one of the differences between Hill and King was I felt Hill was writing more for my generation (Gen. X) and not so much the Baby Boomers, as King generally does. What makes me feel this way? Simply the generational references to music and pop culture and the like.

1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

I did enjoy it pretty well, although there wasn't anything tremendously memorable in it for me.