Horns - Joe Hill

Rating: ✫✫

I knew of the film adaptation of Horns before I ever realised it was a book, although I've never seen it. I'm very particular about always needing to read the book before seeing an on-screen adaptation, and so I downloaded the book to my kindle to read first. 

Honestly, I disliked this book immediately. I mean, seriously disliked it. I found it crude, messy and just generally repulsive. The plot had some holes that weren't really explained, and I didn't think the characters were at all endearing. Case closed.

Now I've had some time away from the book, I've gained a little more perspective on it. I still dislike it, and I'll never read it again, but I can see the point of these darker elements a little better. They represent chaos and the evils of regular people, of regular society. Ig is the devil on all of our shoulders, and although I still think the book is very unenjoyable for the most part, it does make a definite statement.

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"It's like in the Bible. You can't always get what you want, but if you really need something, you usually find it."

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Ignatius Perrish is the town reject, the prime suspect in the brutal sexual assault and murder case of his girlfriend, Merrin. Unable to convince people of his innocence, Ig has resigned himself to drinking and doing bad things to pass the time. One morning, he wakes with a hangover, one that causes enormous pain. Pain which isn't helped by the two horns now protruding from his head.

But surely he must be imagining things; surely the horns can't possibly be real! Except that strange things now happen to Ig when he ventures out in public. People spill their darkest secrets without meaning to, and Ig finds he is able to manipulate them with ease. 

Trying to navigate his way through the strange situation he is now in, Ig soon realises that the relationships he holds with family and friends are to be tested, and the truth about what happened to Merrin may come from the most unlikely of sources. The devil is on his shoulder, and he wants revenge.

*spoiler alert*

The Plot and Structure

This is a surprisingly structured book considering the chaos that it contains between it's pages. There are five separate sections: 'Hell', 'Cherry', 'The Fire Sermon', 'The Fixer', and 'The Gospel According to Mick and Keith'. I know, it's very random. I can see the point of these sections, as they do focus on their individual narratives, whether it's a look at the past, or a focus on a particular character. However, I feel there are some sections that are more successful than others.

My initial thoughts on starting the book was that it was a lot darker than I had expected. It's actually quite repulsive in places. However, the actual story was a really interesting idea. When Ig realises that he can find out information about people just by making physical contact with them, it's surprising.

"He couldn't know the things he knew about her but he knew them anyway."

My immediate question was how? It's quite random, especially when you add in the fact that his presence compels people to share their darkest secrets with him. Nifty, at first, until you see the interaction Ig has with his grandmother. He believes his grandmother still loves him and supports him, but this belief is ruined as soon as he sees her. It's quite painful to read, because it makes you consider the real implications of this power; because how would you ever have any relationship with anybody - friend or stranger - when they involuntarily tell you things you don't want to know, and don't need to hear? This is major a thing to have happened to our protagonist. But really, in terms of the timeline of the plot, Ig very quickly seems to accept his new life. Too quickly. He's confused, but that phase passes quickly. 

"So. He couldn't make people do anything they didn't already want to do. Ig had wondered if this might not be the case."

He's calm. He'd wondered, and he got his answer, so that's that. It's just weird how quickly it all moves on. It's a shame there's no further discussion over this confusing fact, because the morality behind this is very intriguing and could make for a great story arc. As much as these people want to do these awful things, they don't, because they know it's wrong. This book raises the question: how far can you push someone moral to do something immoral? I don't think the really interesting implications of this aspect of the plot are really taken advantage of over the course of the book. Ig can really manipulate people, which is a cool detail, but it isn't a major part of the main plot progression. I did spend a lot of the story waiting to discover whatever explanation there was going to be about the appearance and power of the horns, but we never really seem to get one. There is no explanation as to why this has happened to Ig; the reader is just expected to roll with it. It's quite disappointing, because the story feels quite one dimensional without any true reasoning behind the horns. It's still an enjoyable read, but the plot progression doesn't feel as well-rounded as it could have with some deeper exploration of why this has happened to Ig.

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The first thing that really happens that demonstrates the magnitude of this darkness is, as I mentioned above, Ig's interaction with his grandmother. It even pushes him to attempt to kill her, which is just slightly insane.

"Vera told him that whenever she saw him, she wanted to be dead, and Ig lived to serve. He liked to think he had always been a conscientious grandson."

And he does this to the person who, up until that point, he had thought loved him the most. I understand the upset, and the anger, but the way he decides is so callous. Is that Ig, or is that the horns? Is he just naturally very violent? Or is he being influenced? I'm not sure we ever really find out. It's very strange how quickly he turns. And of course, when Ig finds out from his own brother that Lee killed Merrin, and that Terry had known this all along, the scene is so wonderfully written that I held my breath for a second without even realising. Just like that his world came crashing down. I think Hill wrote this scene so well, and the bluntness with which this information is revealed to Ig is very jarring, and really shows the brutality and the aggression of this story.

As much as I found the whole narrative unnecessarily crude and repulsive, part one of the story really did pique my interest. It was unique and the plot was moving rapidly. However, part two - 'Cherry' - I found to be unnecessary in many places. I like that it established Ig's relationship with Lee, but it was far, far too long. It could easily have been half the length, and making it more concise would have maintained my interest more. It did also set up Merrin's character, but it was so long-winded that I found a lot of it tedious. Part three was also a bit of a chore to get through. The plot elements were okay, but the story was, unsurprisingly, very unnecessarily crude and the point of each section could be reached a lot quicker. It was the only part where the narrative swapped between the past and the present, which I would have expected to retain  my attention a little more. However, I found myself skimming over a lot of the passages. It was a continuation of the plot, but nothing notable happened. It did build up suspense very well, but it could have been much shorter. 

When we reach the scene which outlines Merrin's breakup with Ig, things became interesting again. And I really understood what Merrin was saying.

"If we spend some time with other people, it will put our relationship in perspective. Maybe we pick it up again later and see if we can love each other as adults the way we did as kids. I don't know. After some time has gone by, maybe we can take another look at what we have to offer each other."

I get that. It makes sense. If there is a problem with the relationship. But they were apparently so happy that as a reader, it's difficult to understand why she decided that was the best for them. It's a puzzle until the very end. But when we first read this scene, it seems messy. Most of the middle of the book does feel very messy and random. There seems to be very little structure, and very little connection between scenes. There's a lot of different relationships to be established, and I do appreciate that. But it feels messy when reading it. It isn't until we reach the final parts of the book that the story returns to feeling like it's progressing properly. I was really enjoying the beginning, and then it felt like a chore all the way through the middle, only for the end to come together again. Perhaps the messiness was supposed to represent the chaos that had befallen Ig, but I'm afraid I didn't buy it. It just felt hashed together.

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But the climax of this book, and the final build-up to it, is very good; full of suspense and emotive. When the reader is shown what exactly happened to Merrin - her death at the hands of Lee, and Terry witnessing the situation in his drugged state - it is incredibly intense. The urgency of the writing really showed the intensity of this scene, and I think, as with some of the earlier scenes, Hill really managed to capture the atmosphere perfectly. It's repulsive, and my skin was crawling reading about Lee's actions. I suppose that's the point, and that indicates that the author did his job effectively. However, as much as I appreciated what the author was trying to achieve, the book as a whole still felt far too crude and disgusting, and by this point, I was really fed up with feeling nauseous.

Cue the explosive finale.

I must say, when Ig was wandering around in a blue dress, I wondered what on earth was going on. This book, though. However, it was quite an emotional end. When the reader discovers that Merrin had cancer, it's very sad, and it becomes a lot easier to see why she wanted a break from her relationship with Ig. She wanted to give him the opportunity to move on, and she probably wanted to detach herself too. The love between them was real, but she was terrified of the hurt. This was a real curve ball.

However, generally the end of the book is just too messy. I think the final scenes are meant to demonstrate chaos, but the constant switching between characters becomes far too confusing, and it becomes too difficult to read. By the time I reached Ig's death scene, I was so confused that it took me a while to realise what was actually happening.

"The trapdoor was open. Ig climbed through, into his new home, his tower of fire, which held his throne of flame. He was right; there was a celebration under way - a wedding party, his wedding party - and his bride awaited him there, with her hair aflame, naked but for a loose wrap of fire. And he took her into his arms, and her mouth found his, and together they burned."

This is really beautiful writing from Joe Hill, and the sweetness of the moment provides a sharp contrast to the horrors of the rest of the story. It's also a moment of redemption for Ig. He had wanted to kill Lee for what he did to Merrin, but beyond that, he had nothing left. Let's face it, with nobody able to have a normal conversation with you, what else can you do? It's a very weird scenario.

What bothers me more is that Terry is left believing that Ig was killed by Lee and Eric, and the world is left believing that Ig is guilty. I know that, in some ways, it's a great sacrifice, but it's upsetting that he died knowing the world would never know the truth. Ig died knowing Lee was dead, and that was enough for him. I feel that the ending is finally where the book starts to feel a bit deeper than it appears at face value. Ig represents the devil on each person's shoulder; the devil pushing each individual to act on their immoral thoughts, making them want to give in. 

"Eric won't remember you were here. He was never even talking to you. He was talking with his own devil."

It's so frustrating because looking back, I can see a lot of positives in this book. The hidden sense of morality, and the way Ig's character is designed to test this in the others. The emotions, and the intense writing style which highlights the blunt nature of Ig's interactions with the world. It's such a shame that the whole book is written in a way that makes it so hard to enjoy. But perhaps that's the point. Because the plot is actually very simple. Very little happens in the present day; it's the addition of the past that complicates the story, and that's what makes it interesting. The story is deceptively simple, in fact, but the narrative is spiky and messy. If we look at the book in this way, it's really successful. I suppose it depends what you look for in a book. This is thought-provoking right at the very end. I just prefer not to have to get to that point only after wading through a story that's difficult, in content and in style.

The Characters

The characters of this book are all distinctly unlikeable. Some, like Ig, Glenna and Merrin, have redeeming qualities, but generally, they're all fairly dark and difficult to connect to. There are no light characters in the story; they are all just surrounded by darkness.

Our protagonist, for example, isn't particularly likeable. He knows he's not a good person. But that's exactly what this story does; it walks the line between good and bad. Ig is the prime example of this. He isn't necessarily a good person, but can we really say he's a bad person? No, not when compared with Lee, for example. And we have to remember that one of Ig's significant personality traits was that:

"Ig had come at high speed because a friend needed him. That was Ig to the core."

Is this true of his character? Yes, I do believe that he is fundamentally good. And he did really make me laugh at certain points in the story. At the end, he wears a blue dress, and his decision to do so doesn't seem to faze him in the slightest.

"I'm only wearing this because I didn't have red tights and a cape."

Sassy Ig. By the end, he is just so done with everybody else. It's very strange. He's impossible to connect with because we never really find out why he's developed these horns. However, it's hard not to feel for him with everything he's been through. But then I couldn't help but find him irrational and irritating. It's like a vicious circle with Ig. But then, with a book like this, what else did I really expect?

The Verdict

"[Satan] and God are supposed to be at war with each other. But if God hates sin and Satan punishes the sinners, aren't they working the same side of the street? Aren't the judge and the executioner on the same team?"

It's exactly for quotes like this that the book redeems itself. It's incredibly thought-provoking in places, and that makes up for a lot of the negative aspects of the story. Sadly, I don't think it goes far enough, and overall, I still found this book tedious, repulsive, and overwhelmingly difficult to read. I can see that this is exactly what Hill must have been going for, and in that instance, I can't argue that he managed it effectively. However, with no characters for the reader to properly connect to, and a narrative that is very chaotic and intense, it doesn't necessarily make for a good read. For being different, this book gets high marks. But in terms of structure, language and likeability, it maintains low scores. 

Overall, I see why this book can be considered significant, especially because of some story arcs and plot points. Yet I would never choose to read it again, and I'm far from saying I enjoyed it. Therefore, I have to give the book a pretty poor, but solid, two stars.