Horns

 

Synopsis: Love made devils of us all.

I'll admit, bar Darren Shan, I haven't stretched out of what you could call my horror comfort zone.

So decidedly, after seeing the film with Daniel Radcliffe at the helm and being both thoroughly impressed by said film and appalled at myself for not having read the book beforehand, I thought to hell with it(hehe) and bought the book the following day.

The book revolves around Ig Parrish's struggle to cope with the loss of the love of his life, Merrin. She has been murdered and the whole town believes Ig is responsible, despite the lack of evidence and the law having proven otherwise.

After a particularly heavy night of debauchery, Ig awakes to find himself growing a rather obvious pair of horns. Horns which as he soon discovers exert a peculiar power over others, inviting them to indulge in their demons and asking Ig for his personal permission. The first to be effected is Glenda, still recovering from a hangover she finds herself eating stale donuts from the table, before long she's asking Ig if she can have all six donuts, despite the fact her stomach hurts.

People's demons soon take a turn down much darker avenues, a young girl claims she wants to burn her mother in her bed, the doctor proclaims his lust for his young daughter's best friend and Ig's own grandmother wishes she was dead every time she sees him. It is obvious to Ig that the cause of the sudden change in people's behaviours has everything to do with his new acquired headpiece but that does nothing to explain how or why he has them.

The book doesn't let up from the soul crushing matter at its centre, tugging at our emotional heartstrings right through to the end, drowning us in a swirling pit of disgust, anger, sorrow and disturbia. The horns merely add a touch of nonsensical into the fray.

We flit back and forth in the timeline, to past memories, seeing events from different perspectives and eventually unravel the mystery revolving around Merrin's shocking murder.

This book is an exceptional crime thriller with a supernatural twist, Hill never misses a beat with his descriptions or the profound motives of his characters. Despite its supernatural air, the plot is entirely believable, setting us up in a quaint little town, lovely and charming on the outside but riddled with sinners on the inside.

Hill tangles childhood tales of stupidity and bravery with the rage and confusion of adulthood as well as bringing the mind of a complete psychopath to fruition and effectively presenting him for judgment.

Lee is twisted, creepy and pure evil, though he parades around town as God's gift due to 'saving' Ig's life once upon a time, underneath the façade crawls the darkest demons that the town possesses.

Incessant fantasies of rape and murder plague his waking mind as well as his dreams, each time they manifest they grow darker with further drastic implications of his sanity.

In a way, the story is a coming of age tale for both anti hero, Ig and villain, Lee. Ig realises what's important to him, what makes him tick and the extent he is willing to go to protect those he cares about.

Lee craves the feeling of control and power over others, and constantly pushes his actions to their questionable limits which as we find out explodes and comes to fruition at the end of the book after a significant tension build despite the reveal fairly early on in the book.

We know what to expect, yet Hill teases and delivers something so disturbing and compelling it is still surprising beyond measure.

 

Overall, Horns was a hugely enjoyable read that delivered on every aspect that which is promised. The tension and edge of your seat feeling never leave you even long after the book has ended and you are left wanting more of the thrill ride. A dark and dripping with revenge with characters to make your skin crawl it'll have you second guessing what dark secrets your social circle holds!

 

If you enjoyed the film then the book is definitely for you and may give you a few further surprises still!