Who Knew? Not just another Joe

Kasey Cox

Every month we receive a small box of ARCs – Advance Reader Copies. These ARCs are early copies of books soon-to-be-published, most of them as yet uncorrected, the prose still a little rough around the edges, the grammar not yet made to walk the copy editor’s strict line. The publishers send these ARCs out, hoping to garner interest, entice potential readers, line up pre-orders, and rev up the buzz for this new book.

The sad part of this story is that I hardly ever have time to do more than admire the covers, read a few of the blurbs, and gently stack the ARCs back in the box they came in, hoping at some point to get a chance to read one.

Such was the fate of an ARC we received several months ago, for a book named “Heart-Shaped Box”, by Joe Hill. The quoted accolades from other authors and well-known newspapers were impressive. The word from the publishing world was that this was the best horror novel debut in at least twenty years. Critics were already comparing Joe Hill to Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, and Bernard Malamud. Though the praise had me intrigued, the actual premise of the novel made a deeper impression on me. The protagonist is a washed-up rock star, Judas Coyne, who collects things with a macabre history – an actual witches’ confession from the 1600’s, a real hangman’s noose, a snuff film. When he learns about a ghost that’s for sale online, he doesn’t hesitate to buy it. And with the arrival of the ghost, all the ghosts of Jude’s past – those he has barely been able to outrun his whole life – come home to roost with him, with a vengeance.

So I put the ARC on the top of the pile, and went on with my life. I didn’t take the time to read it, and I only thought of it occasionally.

Fast forward to January 2007, when I finally learn the rest of the story behind this book – the NEWS that’s been tearing across the book world like wildfire. Joe Hill is a pen name. The talented young man is none other than Joe HILLstrom King, Stephen King’s eldest son. He kept his name under wraps, desiring to make it on his own merits.

Lucky for me, in many ways, that I didn’t read the ARC, yet had kept it in mind and in excellent condition. Ironically, I auctioned it off as a collectible in mint condition, which indeed, it is. And I promptly ordered my own copy of “Heart-Shaped Box”, which I devoured. I am not a huge fan of the horror novel, but I am a Stephen King fan. I’m picky about my horror fiction, as well as the science fiction I choose to read. The story has to grab me, thrill me, kiss me in the dark. I want to be surprised. And above all, the writer better have style as well as decent technique.

Though “Joe Hill” may cringe that it was his father’s reputation that actually compelled me to pick up this first novel, I want to declare my enthusiasm for this new writer. He definitely delivers. “Heart-Shaped Box” is an intense ride. I was hooked on the story from the beginning, and found the characters incredibly well-fleshed out. Not only did the story scare the pants off me several times, but I found myself reflecting a great deal on the way the characters were affected by their pasts, their relationships, their choices. I actually thought a lot about what a difference being loved makes in a person’s life. That’s high praise for the writing in a “horror” novel. This is not fluff, and it’s not gore.

Look for more big news on Joe Hill in the coming months, and even years. Movie rights for “Heart-Shaped Box” were immediately snapped up, and a director has already been chosen. Joe Hill’s actual first book, “20th Century Ghosts”, a collection of short stories that was not accepted for publication in the U.S., is slated for American release in October 2007. And “Hill” is still hard at work on a novel he’s been working with for the last couple of years. I, for one, can’t wait.