by Joe Hill
First published 2010
Ignatius Perrish awakens with a crushing hangover and two horns sprouting from his head. The night before, he drank himself senseless and did things he can't take back. Ig assumes the horns are hallucinations brought on by grief and rage. For a year, he has lived in isolation after his girlfriend Merrin Williams was raped and killed. The horns prove disturbingly real. Ig once had everything. His father was a famous musician, his brother a television star. Born into wealth and privilege in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig enjoyed security and status. Most importantly, he had Merrin and their magical love built on shared dreams and summer adventures. Her death destroyed it all. Police suspected Ig but never charged him. His wealthy parents allegedly interfered with the investigation. The town considers him guilty. Friends have turned away. Even God seems to have abandoned him. Only the devil remains, growing stronger inside him as the horns take hold.
Genres: mystery, horror, contemporary, dark-fantasy
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Gideon, New Hampshire
Period: contemporary
370 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: death, murder