Heart-Shaped Box

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: Stephen Lang

"Buy my stepfather's ghost, read the e-mail." So Jude did. He bought it, in the shape of the dead man's suit, delivered in a heart-shaped box, because he wanted it - because his fans ate up that kind of story. It was perfect for his collection: the genuine skulls and the bones, the real honest-to-God snuff movie, the occult books, and all the rest of the paraphernalia that goes along with his kind of hard/goth rock.

But the rest of his collection doesn't make the house feel cold. The bones don't make the dogs bark; the movie doesn't make Jude feel as if he's being watched. And none of the artifacts bring a vengeful old ghost with black scribbles over his eyes out of the shadows to chase Jude out of his home, and make him run for his life....

©2007 Joe Hill (P)2007 HarperCollinsPublishers

Uno de los mejores libros que he leído

fenomenal, fantastica, cautivadora, llena de suspenso y excelente personajes, Joe Hill es el Stephen King de esta nueva generación, digno heredero del talento de su padre.

Amazing

He combined various elements of horror that I have never thought possible. It was scary, but at the end gave you a satisfactory feeling about all the troubles the characters endured through out the book. He is definitely my favorite writer

Joe Hill got a new fan!

Where does Heart-Shaped Box rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heart-Shaped Box?

The first description of the ghost.

Which character – as performed by Stephen Lang – was your favorite?

Jude. He's not your typical nice guy, but he is believably human with his flaws.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The dead drag the living down.

Any additional comments?

I loved the book; both the story and the performance. An unbelievable story is made believable by the author's fine attention to detail and descriptive abilites. After I finished the book, I immediately purchased and started listening to Joe Hill's 'Horns'. I'm officially a fan!

One of my Favourite Books EVER

Would you listen to Heart-Shaped Box again? Why?

I would and I have!!! Since purchasing Heart-Shaped Box over a year ago, I have listened to it over 5 times.

The book lures you in from the very first sentence. It is atmospheric and creepy without trying too hard. Stephen Lang is an excellent narrator, particularly in this book. His voice is gravelly and emotive, able to reflect the main character's feelings into every word and adding to the overall ominous feeling of the book.

The storyline is frightening and heart breaking and no matter how many times I listen to the book, I it grabs my attention 100%.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heart-Shaped Box?

There are so many memorable moments in Heart-Shaped Box!

One of the most memorable moments that stuck with me were Jude's memories of "Florida". His selfish, aloof love for her and then the disintegration of his love to revulsion as she descended into deep depression. Joe Hill's depiction of depression was not trivialised in an emo-teen way, nor was it gratuitously dark and graphic. He managed to describe Florida's mental decline gracefully, and in a way that made your heart ache for her as he described her trying so hard to be "normal" and the woman Jude had once loved.

Which scene was your favorite?

Again, there are many scenes that are my favourite, but the one that really sticks with me and sets my teeth on edge every time is the moment that Jude is on the phone with the woman who sold him the suit, only to find out it is the sister of his ex-girlfriend... who had killed herself shortly after they broke up. The phone call goes from politely mundane to tension filled shock so fast, it is jarring to the senses. It feels as though you are hearing the news in real life.

Who was the most memorable character of Heart-Shaped Box and why?

I think Florida was the most memorable character of Heart-Shaped Box even though her character only resided in memories. As the story unfolds and the pieces all come together, all you can feel is the same regret and sorrow that Jude feels, knowing that he could have helped her if he had only known what had been going on.

Any additional comments?

I just love this book!!! <3

Very Good

Loved it, unpredictable, full of suspence. Worth the read. Definitely going to listen to more if Joe Jill's books.

Narrator

I am an hour and a half in and struggling to keep going.
Talk about the dead dragging the living down, thats what the narration is doing to me. I find it slow and dreary and hard to concentrate on the story.