Lee Tourneau (Horns)

(NOTE: This page got deleted somehow! I'm entirely suspicious because I can't imagine that I did it myself, but alas... I needed to post Lee again.)

"The thing that I'm hung up on is the idea of seeing something real. I don't think most people feel half the things they pretend to feel."

(Lee Tourneau, Horns)

The Villain

Lee Tourneau is a sexual deviant and high functioning sociopath, transforming from a juvenile delinquent, small-town boy to a self-proclaimed "sinner" who works for a conservative congressman. He picks up necessary mannerisms and learns to appear harmless by following the example of his unknowing friends. There's something "off" about him, but signs of his true character are easy to excuse. I mean, he's an otherwise selfless and good-intentioned person. (Really!)

While Lee understands how emotions work, he mistakes his own desire for possession as a form of actual love. He doesn't seem to always understand how he's really different.

"Sociopathy" put so plainly by Joe Hill; no dramatic bravado to force the eeriness of the character. Hill explores the idea of an "ordinary" sociopath in this magical realist fiction, delving into the imminent consequences of Lee Tourneau and how he's violently cancerous to the lives around him.

The Story

A year after his girlfriend, Merrin, was raped and murdered, Ignatius Perrish wakes up with horns growing from his temples - and they seem to have something of an...effect on people. Without reserve, strangers, family, and friends start sharing their darkest, innermost thoughts with him. Along the way, he's faced with a confession that brings new light to his girlfriend's death. With the additional ability of persuasion behind his horns, Ignatius seeks the truth as to why his girlfriend is no longer here, and plots to enforce the 'devil's justice' in the form of revenge.

The Novel

Joe Hill is clever. The story is a thoughtfully designed puzzle. You don't even realize where Joe Hill is taking you until connections throughout the story, flashbacks, and various characters start drawing together. It's a fun supernatural thriller that remains sentimental and good-humored with the nature of good and evil at it's core.

Lee Tourneau is an important piece of that puzzle. In addition to playing a key role, we get a good 40+ pages that are dedicated to Lee's story. It's fantastic. I reread that part completely once I finished the book.

The Movie

An independent film starring Daniel Radcliffe as Ignatius Perrish and Max Minghella as Lee Tourneau came out in 2014. I actually did like Max Minghella's take on Lee, but his character's role was not very fulfilled. The movie was visually pretty, good, easy entertainment, but not very substantial. Read the book!

Note: The "Satanic" tag on this entry is due to the nature of this book. Whether or not any characters are Satanic is (supposedly) open to interpretation.