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Thumbprint
A short story from critically acclaimed, bestselling author Joe Hill about a young woman who returns home from a military tour in the Middle East . . . and her dark past follows closely behind.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2012
257 people are currently reading
2756 people want to read
About the author
Joe Hill
505 books29.7k followersJoe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
March 2, 2020
Wow...I'm really torn and speechless on this one. I love Joe Hill. I've never read anything he's written that I didn't absolutely admire and adore, both for the wordsmith and creativity.
Until now.
I've purposely refused to read anything about this story prior to reading it, I wanted it to be a fresh experience. I'm guessing that this was a story written early in Hill's career, republished now. I remember seeing different cover art somewhere, I think.
It's not a horror story; moreso a military-themed character tale.
As I sit here pondering what I just read, it's hard for me to objectively distinguish whether I didn't really care a lot for the story itself, or if I simply had a hard time enjoying the story because of the unrelentingly hateful way it portrayed American soldiers. I have many friends in the military, friends who served in Baghdad during the time period described in this story; I have friends serving in the middle east right now; let me just say - I have never known anyone in the military who even vaguely resembles the soldiers presented in this story.
Of course the Army has had soldiers commit atrocities during the war, that fact is not disputable. But in this story Joe Hill paints pretty much the entire Army as nothing but barbarian, out-of-control animals savaging every native they come across with impugnity. If he had presented even one or two reasonable soldiers it would have made this tale more realistic and easier to swallow. As it is, his presentation of the Army is just so at odds with reality as to make it seem like the story is unfolding in an alternate universe.
But that might just be my own bias getting in the way, so let me try to judge the story on it's own merits. I did enjoy the overall experience, the story took me places, and was well-written and flowing, vivid and descriptive. The style of writing was much different than the prose found in 20th CENTURY GHOSTS; much more to the point and straightforward, without much flourish. Perhaps that was an artistic decision, given the military nature of the main character, perhaps Hill wanted to write the story in the same type of direct, stacatto language he imagined an army vet would use.
The ending felt a bit premature and sudden, and I turned the final page back and forth unsure of whether the story had just ended or if I had accidentally skipped a page; but short stories would be novels if they didn't end sooner, so overall I was satisfied with the conclusion - since honestly I think everyone would predict the same ultimate ending had it gone on for more pages.
Overall, I thought that this was a solidly written, if not overly exceptional story; definitely not horror, and a tale I would have personally enjoyed more if I didn't think the overall point of it was that American soldiers are monsters. I really, really wanted this review to be different, wanted to fall in love with this story. As it is, I respect it - but also respectfully disagree.
Until now.
I've purposely refused to read anything about this story prior to reading it, I wanted it to be a fresh experience. I'm guessing that this was a story written early in Hill's career, republished now. I remember seeing different cover art somewhere, I think.
It's not a horror story; moreso a military-themed character tale.
As I sit here pondering what I just read, it's hard for me to objectively distinguish whether I didn't really care a lot for the story itself, or if I simply had a hard time enjoying the story because of the unrelentingly hateful way it portrayed American soldiers. I have many friends in the military, friends who served in Baghdad during the time period described in this story; I have friends serving in the middle east right now; let me just say - I have never known anyone in the military who even vaguely resembles the soldiers presented in this story.
Of course the Army has had soldiers commit atrocities during the war, that fact is not disputable. But in this story Joe Hill paints pretty much the entire Army as nothing but barbarian, out-of-control animals savaging every native they come across with impugnity. If he had presented even one or two reasonable soldiers it would have made this tale more realistic and easier to swallow. As it is, his presentation of the Army is just so at odds with reality as to make it seem like the story is unfolding in an alternate universe.
But that might just be my own bias getting in the way, so let me try to judge the story on it's own merits. I did enjoy the overall experience, the story took me places, and was well-written and flowing, vivid and descriptive. The style of writing was much different than the prose found in 20th CENTURY GHOSTS; much more to the point and straightforward, without much flourish. Perhaps that was an artistic decision, given the military nature of the main character, perhaps Hill wanted to write the story in the same type of direct, stacatto language he imagined an army vet would use.
The ending felt a bit premature and sudden, and I turned the final page back and forth unsure of whether the story had just ended or if I had accidentally skipped a page; but short stories would be novels if they didn't end sooner, so overall I was satisfied with the conclusion - since honestly I think everyone would predict the same ultimate ending had it gone on for more pages.
Overall, I thought that this was a solidly written, if not overly exceptional story; definitely not horror, and a tale I would have personally enjoyed more if I didn't think the overall point of it was that American soldiers are monsters. I really, really wanted this review to be different, wanted to fall in love with this story. As it is, I respect it - but also respectfully disagree.
January 8, 2017
Joe Hill pulls readers in with this short story that offers both entertainment and social commentary of the highest order. PFC Mallory 'Mal' Grennan was highly effective while serving under Uncle Sam in Iraq. Her time dealing with prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison helped hone a hard outer shell, as she was always to stay out of the limelight and within rage of the camera's eye. Little soft or nurturing characteristics appeared during her time with those who backed the dreaded Butcher of Baghdad. Now back on US soil, Mal receives a black thumbprint, alone on a white sheet of paper; no note or explanation accompanying it. Unable to decipher what it means, she returns to work, tending bar at one of the local watering holes. As the narrative progresses, Mal splits her time dealing with a present-day blackmail scheme and flashbacks to time in Iraq. More thumbprints emerge, leaving Mal to wonder if someone has taken offence to her making a buck off men who want a cheap thrill, though it is only when she returns home after a weekend shift that all becomes clear. Hill is able to keep the reader flipping pages in hopes of discovering what lies beneath, all while providing strong arguments surrounding US Military treatment of Iraqis in the mid-2000s.
While the story took me under an hour to read, its themes resonate with me even now. This is the second piece by Hill that I have read, both of which were chock-full of social commentary on society and the treatment of others. While some might say I am digging too deep and not reading for enjoyment, as I mentioned in an earlier review, Hill presents his ideas so clearly that the reader would be remiss not to notice them. In crafting the Mal character, Hill is able to effectively paint the portrait of an Iraqi war vet, perhaps jaded and scarred by what she has seen. The story was brief enough that forward development was not possible to notice, though the reader surely develops an understanding of her backstory and can surmise what is to come after the final lines of the story drift into the literary ether. This story comes highly recommended and is brief enough that a lunch break or brief period of quiet is all one needs to absorb what he has to say.
Kudos, Mr. Hill for another great piece of writing. I am not sure where I have been all this time, but am glad to have discovered you lately.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
While the story took me under an hour to read, its themes resonate with me even now. This is the second piece by Hill that I have read, both of which were chock-full of social commentary on society and the treatment of others. While some might say I am digging too deep and not reading for enjoyment, as I mentioned in an earlier review, Hill presents his ideas so clearly that the reader would be remiss not to notice them. In crafting the Mal character, Hill is able to effectively paint the portrait of an Iraqi war vet, perhaps jaded and scarred by what she has seen. The story was brief enough that forward development was not possible to notice, though the reader surely develops an understanding of her backstory and can surmise what is to come after the final lines of the story drift into the literary ether. This story comes highly recommended and is brief enough that a lunch break or brief period of quiet is all one needs to absorb what he has to say.
Kudos, Mr. Hill for another great piece of writing. I am not sure where I have been all this time, but am glad to have discovered you lately.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
October 25, 2013
If you know me, you know that I am a huge fan of Joe Hill, which generally means that I'd read his grocery list if he published it. I don't need to know what a Joe Hill story is about in order to know that it's going to be good, and such is the case with Thumbprint. So I read it, without a clue as to what it was about, because he wrote it. And I don't know if I would really call this "horror" so much as horrifying. This little story is 42 pages long, and in those pages, there's a lot that disturbed me enough to make me feel extremely uncomfortable. And angry. And horrified. And ashamed.
I know that I should not be shocked by the extent of cruelty people display towards each other... but I am. I continue to be, because I also know that if I stop being shocked by it, start accepting it as a given, then I'll have lost all faith in humanity, and that is a frightening thing to me. I do not want to live in a world where the expectation is hatred and fear of the 'different'. Call me naive, or idealistic, or whatever, but I have to believe that we are fucking BETTER than that.
It's not our nature to hate - it's something that we have to be taught. We have to be conditioned to it. After so long of being on the constant look-out for the things we hate and fear... we will start to see them everywhere and in everything. Unconnected things start forming patterns, leading us to conclusions that can only be reached from a certain expectation from the start. And our minds start to justify atrocities as necessary. Because of the conditioning that made us fear in the first place.
Anyway, I'm getting off track here. This story is about a woman who did some terrible things while stationed in Iraq. Our main character, Mal, is an extremely fucked up bitch. We catch up to her after she's home from her tour, and as she's trying to fit back in to normal life. She is not a good person. Her name alone tells us that. My distinct and immediate dislike of her just proves how brilliant Joe Hill is. He made her believable in a way that literally had me grimacing as I read about her. It would have been so easy to go over the top and make her almost a caricature, but he didn't. I did not like her, but she was believable...
But no, she is not a good person. In her words: "Two hundred dollars a month was what it cost to make a torturer out of [me]." Whether that was part of her "job" or not does not matter to me. At one point in the story, she mentions how the drugs they were on and the sleep deprivation and the constant alertness made her do terrible things... but those things are no longer a factor in her "present day" life, and yet she's still a bad person. At least she realizes it though... Perhaps a tiny sliver of a chance for redemption?
This little story disturbed me because it's plausible. It's possible. It's probably happened, though the details may be different. Mal put it extremely bluntly and accurately when she said "You'd be surprised what you can do to people."
The ending was abrupt, and while I was a little relieved that it was over, I also wanted a little more from it. I wanted to know what happened... after. But still, this was a great story, if not at all fun to actually read.
I know that I should not be shocked by the extent of cruelty people display towards each other... but I am. I continue to be, because I also know that if I stop being shocked by it, start accepting it as a given, then I'll have lost all faith in humanity, and that is a frightening thing to me. I do not want to live in a world where the expectation is hatred and fear of the 'different'. Call me naive, or idealistic, or whatever, but I have to believe that we are fucking BETTER than that.
It's not our nature to hate - it's something that we have to be taught. We have to be conditioned to it. After so long of being on the constant look-out for the things we hate and fear... we will start to see them everywhere and in everything. Unconnected things start forming patterns, leading us to conclusions that can only be reached from a certain expectation from the start. And our minds start to justify atrocities as necessary. Because of the conditioning that made us fear in the first place.
Anyway, I'm getting off track here. This story is about a woman who did some terrible things while stationed in Iraq. Our main character, Mal, is an extremely fucked up bitch. We catch up to her after she's home from her tour, and as she's trying to fit back in to normal life. She is not a good person. Her name alone tells us that. My distinct and immediate dislike of her just proves how brilliant Joe Hill is. He made her believable in a way that literally had me grimacing as I read about her. It would have been so easy to go over the top and make her almost a caricature, but he didn't. I did not like her, but she was believable...
But no, she is not a good person. In her words: "Two hundred dollars a month was what it cost to make a torturer out of [me]." Whether that was part of her "job" or not does not matter to me. At one point in the story, she mentions how the drugs they were on and the sleep deprivation and the constant alertness made her do terrible things... but those things are no longer a factor in her "present day" life, and yet she's still a bad person. At least she realizes it though... Perhaps a tiny sliver of a chance for redemption?
This little story disturbed me because it's plausible. It's possible. It's probably happened, though the details may be different. Mal put it extremely bluntly and accurately when she said "You'd be surprised what you can do to people."
The ending was abrupt, and while I was a little relieved that it was over, I also wanted a little more from it. I wanted to know what happened... after. But still, this was a great story, if not at all fun to actually read.
November 16, 2012
"You'd be surprised what you can do to people".
I haven't read or watched a lot of fiction that has to do with war. I've only really seen a handful of movies and the majority of them paint soldiers in a glowing light. I'm not about to sit here and criticize those who put themselves directly in harms way on a daily basis - a job I could never find the balls to do myself - I'll leave that to others; others like Joe Hill.
The bulk of this story follows Mal Greenfell, a solider that returned from Iraq and is trying to adjust to life as a private citizen. Having died approximately ten hours before her arrival back in America, Mal's father left her his home as well as his car.
Mal takes a job as a bartender and slowly realizes that she's not the person she was when she ventured overseas, that her true self is who she is now - a careless and ruthless individual who isn't above violence and theft.
Following the arrival of a letter containing only a single fingerprint, Mal begins to question if someone is threatening her. Given Mal's sordid past, she may have created several enemies.
Over the past year, I've become a pretty big supporter of Joe Hill having read his novel, Horns, as well as his awesome graphic novel series, Locke & Key. I thought this was pretty average; not bad but not on the level that he's capable of. That being said, I thought it was paced well and had a decently satisfying conclusion. So a solid 3 stars.
If anything, it's a quick read and only runs you about 99 cents. Also, more Joe Hill is always welcome.
** There's also an excerpt of Joe's next novel, due out in early 2013, NOS4A2
I haven't read or watched a lot of fiction that has to do with war. I've only really seen a handful of movies and the majority of them paint soldiers in a glowing light. I'm not about to sit here and criticize those who put themselves directly in harms way on a daily basis - a job I could never find the balls to do myself - I'll leave that to others; others like Joe Hill.
The bulk of this story follows Mal Greenfell, a solider that returned from Iraq and is trying to adjust to life as a private citizen. Having died approximately ten hours before her arrival back in America, Mal's father left her his home as well as his car.
Mal takes a job as a bartender and slowly realizes that she's not the person she was when she ventured overseas, that her true self is who she is now - a careless and ruthless individual who isn't above violence and theft.
Following the arrival of a letter containing only a single fingerprint, Mal begins to question if someone is threatening her. Given Mal's sordid past, she may have created several enemies.
Over the past year, I've become a pretty big supporter of Joe Hill having read his novel, Horns, as well as his awesome graphic novel series, Locke & Key. I thought this was pretty average; not bad but not on the level that he's capable of. That being said, I thought it was paced well and had a decently satisfying conclusion. So a solid 3 stars.
If anything, it's a quick read and only runs you about 99 cents. Also, more Joe Hill is always welcome.
** There's also an excerpt of Joe's next novel, due out in early 2013, NOS4A2
August 30, 2013
Disturbing and unsettling in the very best way.
June 6, 2015
Here we are again Mr. Hill, with a book that starts good but with an ending that makes me just as frustrated as the last short story I read written by you. This is so tormenting that I don't know if I should continue with your short stories but I probably will...
November 20, 2015
A veteran from the Iraqi war comes back to the states to live in the house of her recently deceased father and begins bartending at a local bar. One night she finds a patron passed out in the parking lot and promptly steals the money out of his wallet and the wedding ring off of his finger. Soon afterwards, she mysteriously begins getting photocopies of thumbprints and we learn that she was made to do some unsavory things during her deployment in Iraq.
While Hill's writing is always good. This story falls flat due to main character being unlikable. While she didn't have it easy while in Iraq, it simply feels like she wasn't that nice of a person to begin with. It makes it hard to have any sympathy for her plight back home.
2 waterboarded prisoners out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
While Hill's writing is always good. This story falls flat due to main character being unlikable. While she didn't have it easy while in Iraq, it simply feels like she wasn't that nice of a person to begin with. It makes it hard to have any sympathy for her plight back home.
2 waterboarded prisoners out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
December 27, 2020
I don't like war fiction. I dislike war movies (I fell asleep out of desperation both times I tried watching Apocalypse Now), and I've read only very few novels about the subject, all considered classics and arguably very anti-war in nature (All Quiet on the Western Front, Slaughterhouse-Five, and
Catch-22
, which I hated...), so I was definitely the wrong audience for this short story... and yet.
It goes deep into the depravity that goes on in war-zones—there's some scenes that were horrifying to read, not because they were particularly graphic in violence, but because they showcased humans' inexhaustible capacity for cruelty. In a very short story that follows an unlikeable female Iraqi war vet adjusting to civilian life when she starts getting strange, threatening messages via mail, Hill manages to call out the treatment of Iraqis by US military forces in no uncertain or subtle terms, and goes into what one must already carry within oneself to willingly do certain things during a deployment, but also what being exposed to horrific things does to a person.
This story and its main character are uncomfortable because they are believable: Real life is way stranger and disturbing than this particular fiction—just read up on the Abu Ghraib scandal (which was the inspiration for this story, and where the main character was stationed) if you have any doubts.
—————
This story is also published in Joe Hill's collection Full Throttle. You can read my full review here.
It goes deep into the depravity that goes on in war-zones—there's some scenes that were horrifying to read, not because they were particularly graphic in violence, but because they showcased humans' inexhaustible capacity for cruelty. In a very short story that follows an unlikeable female Iraqi war vet adjusting to civilian life when she starts getting strange, threatening messages via mail, Hill manages to call out the treatment of Iraqis by US military forces in no uncertain or subtle terms, and goes into what one must already carry within oneself to willingly do certain things during a deployment, but also what being exposed to horrific things does to a person.
This story and its main character are uncomfortable because they are believable: Real life is way stranger and disturbing than this particular fiction—just read up on the Abu Ghraib scandal (which was the inspiration for this story, and where the main character was stationed) if you have any doubts.
—————
This story is also published in Joe Hill's collection Full Throttle. You can read my full review here.
January 24, 2013
This was a quick read, and it for sure kept me interested in finding out what was going on. I right away did not like the main character, she was not someone I could feel for or relate to. In fact, she was kind of a nasty person. Even so, I still had to find out what the deal was. The flashbacks only cemented my dislike of the character and her compadres even more. Maybe that really does go on over there, in fact it probably does in some cases, but I was cringing reading it. It was because of her actions and personality that I was kinda glad when the end came. Maybe he was crazy, but at least she got what she deserved. A well-written story, even if the subject matter made me a little uncomfortable. Can't wait for Hill's new novel, the little preview at the end of this story only teases me.
June 28, 2013
...and have finally found some relatively new and excellently rendered dark fiction.
Thumprint was my first foray into the writing of Joe Hill, and so begins my journey into obsessively reading his published works.
When I started reading, I couldn't help but compare his writing style to his father's. Within the first few pages, that was no longer an issue. While in the same genre, Hill has a writing style and tone all his own.
Thumprint was my first foray into the writing of Joe Hill, and so begins my journey into obsessively reading his published works.
When I started reading, I couldn't help but compare his writing style to his father's. Within the first few pages, that was no longer an issue. While in the same genre, Hill has a writing style and tone all his own.
November 12, 2012
The less I say about this short story from Hill, the better. An indictment of the Iraqi war, the story goes nowhere and says nothing of interest. Hill would be better served to stay away from politics and write what he does best. This isn't it.
April 8, 2022
Review 5: Thumbprint: A Story by Joe Hill
PFC Mallory Grennan just came back from the war in Iraq with a lot of baggage, most of it concerning the unsavory stuff she had to do in the war. She tries to re-integrate some normalcy into her life working in a bar, indulging in the occasional theft and extra-marital fling. But just as she is getting the hang of living, she receives an ominous mail: an envelope containing a blank typing paper with a single thumbprint in black ink. Who is sending these? Does this person know what she did back in Iraq? Why now? Before she can make sense of everything, another thumbprint arrives.
I am sure Joe Hill disapproves of the war in the Middle East and the atrocities the U. S. A. has done in the name of national security. That would be fine in some magazine reporting, but we need a good story here. And Hill provides us with that, plus a fully-fleshed character that we can understand, if not sympathize. War does ugly things to people, and Hill demonstrates it with aplomb with the relentless paranoia and emptiness that envelops Mallory's life. Hill also posits a more disturbing realization: if you think you have it bad (experience-wise), somebody has it worse.
The only drawback I can see is that the ending could have been more impactful or even disturbing. Mallory, as all the readers would attest, SHOULD face the consequences of her (their?) actions back in the war. The abrupt ending doesn't do anybody justice.
PFC Mallory Grennan just came back from the war in Iraq with a lot of baggage, most of it concerning the unsavory stuff she had to do in the war. She tries to re-integrate some normalcy into her life working in a bar, indulging in the occasional theft and extra-marital fling. But just as she is getting the hang of living, she receives an ominous mail: an envelope containing a blank typing paper with a single thumbprint in black ink. Who is sending these? Does this person know what she did back in Iraq? Why now? Before she can make sense of everything, another thumbprint arrives.
I am sure Joe Hill disapproves of the war in the Middle East and the atrocities the U. S. A. has done in the name of national security. That would be fine in some magazine reporting, but we need a good story here. And Hill provides us with that, plus a fully-fleshed character that we can understand, if not sympathize. War does ugly things to people, and Hill demonstrates it with aplomb with the relentless paranoia and emptiness that envelops Mallory's life. Hill also posits a more disturbing realization: if you think you have it bad (experience-wise), somebody has it worse.
The only drawback I can see is that the ending could have been more impactful or even disturbing. Mallory, as all the readers would attest, SHOULD face the consequences of her (their?) actions back in the war. The abrupt ending doesn't do anybody justice.
November 22, 2012
I wanted to read this because I absolutely loved his novel, Heart-Shaped Box. I'm not a huge fan of short stories as a rule, but this one was pretty good.
Even so, I'm even more excited to read his novel (out next year), NOS4A2 (say it out loud if you don't get it.)
Anyway. :) Thumbprint is about a soldier named Mal. She was in the Army and was at Abu Ghraib, where she was one of the soldiers in one of the pictures. Fortunately for her, you just saw her boot which means that she wasn't arrested or charged or sent home in shame.
Now that she IS home, however, she's been getting weird letters. Well, thumbprints. No idea why and no idea from whom.
This is a ridiculously creepy story. For most of it, we don't know who's sending these notes to her or why (obviously) and that would make me incredibly paranoid and suspicious of everyone I knew and everyone I saw. The thing with Mal, though, is she's basically like, "Whatever." She registers the thumbprints and figures they're supposed to be a threat (because the other thing is that every time she gets one, it's basically closer---first in the mailbox, then under the front door, then under her car windshield wiper, etc.) but she doesn't seem to really think much about it.
The ending is left pretty open, which I'm not a huge fan of. But even with that, this is a very unsettling story. Recommended. But if you haven't read him before, read Heart-Shaped Box instead. :)
Even so, I'm even more excited to read his novel (out next year), NOS4A2 (say it out loud if you don't get it.)
Anyway. :) Thumbprint is about a soldier named Mal. She was in the Army and was at Abu Ghraib, where she was one of the soldiers in one of the pictures. Fortunately for her, you just saw her boot which means that she wasn't arrested or charged or sent home in shame.
Now that she IS home, however, she's been getting weird letters. Well, thumbprints. No idea why and no idea from whom.
This is a ridiculously creepy story. For most of it, we don't know who's sending these notes to her or why (obviously) and that would make me incredibly paranoid and suspicious of everyone I knew and everyone I saw. The thing with Mal, though, is she's basically like, "Whatever." She registers the thumbprints and figures they're supposed to be a threat (because the other thing is that every time she gets one, it's basically closer---first in the mailbox, then under the front door, then under her car windshield wiper, etc.) but she doesn't seem to really think much about it.
The ending is left pretty open, which I'm not a huge fan of. But even with that, this is a very unsettling story. Recommended. But if you haven't read him before, read Heart-Shaped Box instead. :)
October 15, 2013
There's nothing supernatural about Thumbprint. Except maybe the human capacity for cruelty. Mal returns to America after a scandal in the military. The primary cast of Thumbprint is modeled after Lynndie England and Charles Graner of the Abu Ghraib prison torture controversy.
The crimes of Mal isn't explicit; you teeter between sympathy then pity when she becomes violent. You can appreciate, despite maybe never having served overseas, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A return to normalcy, after living under fear and violence, is nearly impossible. You've seen blood on on the hands of others, felt it on your hands, even. But maybe you can't appreciate how far it can go with PTSD. When working with meat like that you can bet after a certain point, it's hard to see them as anything other than walking, breathing mannequins.
Thumbprints starts off innocuously enough, but of course, as anything at the hands of Joe Hill, it takes an abrupt and dark turn. The worst part about this, there's nothing supernatural about it... except maybe the human capacity for cruelty.
The crimes of Mal isn't explicit; you teeter between sympathy then pity when she becomes violent. You can appreciate, despite maybe never having served overseas, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A return to normalcy, after living under fear and violence, is nearly impossible. You've seen blood on on the hands of others, felt it on your hands, even. But maybe you can't appreciate how far it can go with PTSD. When working with meat like that you can bet after a certain point, it's hard to see them as anything other than walking, breathing mannequins.
Thumbprints starts off innocuously enough, but of course, as anything at the hands of Joe Hill, it takes an abrupt and dark turn. The worst part about this, there's nothing supernatural about it... except maybe the human capacity for cruelty.
December 14, 2015
What just happened??
I was just beginning to enjoy myself and then it ended? Yes I know short stories should be short. I have read a lot of them even before the SK area but most of the time they end with a little bing or a big bang actually.
Not this one. I really liked the concept of soldiers who have been guards in infamous prison camp Abu Ghraib so kudos for the idea but not very well executed.
Was this one of his earlier stories?
I was just beginning to enjoy myself and then it ended? Yes I know short stories should be short. I have read a lot of them even before the SK area but most of the time they end with a little bing or a big bang actually.
Not this one. I really liked the concept of soldiers who have been guards in infamous prison camp Abu Ghraib so kudos for the idea but not very well executed.
Was this one of his earlier stories?
November 23, 2021
A man of Joe Hill’s lineage doesn’t shy away from disturbing topics. Exhibit A - this short story about the lingering effects of war, specifically the torture of military prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
Much what you would expect from JH.
Much what you would expect from JH.
October 24, 2012
This is probably one of the most disturbing Joe Hill stories I've read, mainly because it has no supernatural elements to it. I could honestly see this happening.
October 11, 2020
titular sentence:
p4: The first thumbprint came in the mail.
The pain will have to come later.
p4: The first thumbprint came in the mail.
The pain will have to come later.
June 12, 2018
criminy is this one awful fucking tale... i will keep the rant about torture short-ish: it has never worked, isn't working now, and never will work, and anyone who believes it does is a sadist and doesn't deserve to be called human... OK, on to the story... man, this one is hard... no idea how a person lets go of their humanity in the name of nationalism (not patriotism, mind you, that is a different thing) and decides to torture another human being... sad, sad and terrible, and those that did it deserve the nightmares they have because of it... there is fighting a war, and then there is barbarism... this tale is amazingly brutal and so well-written... Hill has oodles of talent and i think this may be one of his best short stories yet... oomph! it just hits you right in the face and keeps hitting you... Mal (symbolic name? mal being Latin for bad/evil) is a piece of work and a piece of shit and she doesn't seem to mind... a stark and unflinching narrative that might make you cringe, but should make you think too...
June 15, 2022
Excelente.
Thumbprint es un relato que tiene como protagonista a una mujer llamada Mallory que después de haber regresado de la guerra de Irak esta siendo acosada por un extraño misterioso que esta dejando cartas con huellas dactilares para asustarla, algo que a simple vista no parece terrorífico pero que no deja de darle una mala espina por lo críptico del mensaje. Cabe señalar que Mallory se dedicaba a torturar a prisioneros de guerra por lo que el rango de sospechosos y personas con deseos de venganza es bastante amplio y tendra que hacer lo necesario para descubrir quien es su acosador.
El guion es bastante bueno y el dibujo ayuda para el tipo de historia que se esta contando, sin duda alguna fueron el pmato fuerte de la recopilacion pero lo que no me parecio extraño y no me termino de quedar claro del todo fueron algunos acontecimientos del capítulo final que no mencionare para evitar spoilers pero que creo que le restan algunos puntos a la historia.
Sin duda alguna fue un relato entretenido que exponr los traumas que dejan los crímenes de guerra en las personas involucradas, como siempre Hill nunca decepciona.
Thumbprint es un relato que tiene como protagonista a una mujer llamada Mallory que después de haber regresado de la guerra de Irak esta siendo acosada por un extraño misterioso que esta dejando cartas con huellas dactilares para asustarla, algo que a simple vista no parece terrorífico pero que no deja de darle una mala espina por lo críptico del mensaje. Cabe señalar que Mallory se dedicaba a torturar a prisioneros de guerra por lo que el rango de sospechosos y personas con deseos de venganza es bastante amplio y tendra que hacer lo necesario para descubrir quien es su acosador.
El guion es bastante bueno y el dibujo ayuda para el tipo de historia que se esta contando, sin duda alguna fueron el pmato fuerte de la recopilacion pero lo que no me parecio extraño y no me termino de quedar claro del todo fueron algunos acontecimientos del capítulo final que no mencionare para evitar spoilers pero que creo que le restan algunos puntos a la historia.
Sin duda alguna fue un relato entretenido que exponr los traumas que dejan los crímenes de guerra en las personas involucradas, como siempre Hill nunca decepciona.
April 10, 2017
Mal is an Iraq war veteran who now lives in her family home and tends bar. She isn't a nice person. Seriously, you will not like her. Her actions during the war, specifically at Abu Ghraib, combined with her actions now at home set her up to be the monster. But then she begins receiving pieces of paper with thumbprints on them, leading her to a meeting with a monster from her own past. I appreciate horror that has very human monsters and leaves me questioning whose side I'm on. This 104 page story scores big with me in that way. Something was missing but I still enjoyed it...or didn't enjoy it as the case may be.
February 7, 2018
Felt like a lot of build up leading somewhat disappointingly to an abrupt end.
April 7, 2020
A great start
I really wanted this to go on longer! It started great but seemed to end right before I was getting seriously invested!
I really wanted this to go on longer! It started great but seemed to end right before I was getting seriously invested!
September 23, 2014
El otro día en el diario que leo siempre salió una nota sobre Joe Hill, (cabe aclarar que es el hijo de Stephen King) ya que su último libro, NOS 4A2, fue recientemente editado en la Argentina. He de decir que soy una gran fanática de todo lo relacionado con el horror y lo sobrenatural, así que de más está decir que el periodista que escribió la nota me endulzó los oídos sobre Hill y me llamó fervientemente a que lea absolutamente TODO de él.
No sé si esta short story fue la mejor manera de empezar a leerlo, a decir verdad. Me di cuenta de que tiene un estilo bastante particular desde la primera oración. Me chocó un poco, especialmente por la crudeza que abunda a lo largo de la historia. Después de haber leido tantas cosas suaves, tiernas y lindas donde te pintan todo color de rosa y lo más insultante que lei fue "fuck this, fuck that", el cambio fue rotundo y me tomó por sorpresa.
Básicamente, este cuento nos narra la historia de Mallory, una joven que vuelve de Irak y se encuentra con que su padre falleció. Tras su regreso, comienza a recibir unos sobres con huellas digitales y sabe que esto significa que alguien la está amenazando.
No tiene sentido que diga más al respecto porque es una historia muy corta y se lee rapidísimo.
Lo único que me decepcionó es que no hay nada sobrenatural o "terrorífico" en la historia. Es más bien un relato de lo que es la crueldad humana y sus límites (o más bien la carencia de ellos). Paréntesis dos: (como si la crueldad humana no fuera lo suficientemente terrorífica, ¿no?). El final fue muy abrupto y me dejó con ganas de más. Joe Hill, nos volveremos a encontrar.
No sé si esta short story fue la mejor manera de empezar a leerlo, a decir verdad. Me di cuenta de que tiene un estilo bastante particular desde la primera oración. Me chocó un poco, especialmente por la crudeza que abunda a lo largo de la historia. Después de haber leido tantas cosas suaves, tiernas y lindas donde te pintan todo color de rosa y lo más insultante que lei fue "fuck this, fuck that", el cambio fue rotundo y me tomó por sorpresa.
Básicamente, este cuento nos narra la historia de Mallory, una joven que vuelve de Irak y se encuentra con que su padre falleció. Tras su regreso, comienza a recibir unos sobres con huellas digitales y sabe que esto significa que alguien la está amenazando.
No tiene sentido que diga más al respecto porque es una historia muy corta y se lee rapidísimo.
Lo único que me decepcionó es que no hay nada sobrenatural o "terrorífico" en la historia. Es más bien un relato de lo que es la crueldad humana y sus límites (o más bien la carencia de ellos). Paréntesis dos: (como si la crueldad humana no fuera lo suficientemente terrorífica, ¿no?). El final fue muy abrupto y me dejó con ganas de más. Joe Hill, nos volveremos a encontrar.
June 24, 2013
Mal is a former soldier trying to readjust after returning home from Iraq, where she did some not so honorable things. She's working at a bar, and still doing some not so honorable things, when she begins receiving envelopes containing thumbprints, which feels vaguely threatening to her.
I can't really give this story more than 3 stars because I felt like I was just getting into it when it stopped. Like stopped dead. I flipped back and forth on my ereader trying to see if I'd somehow missed something. Maybe the ending of the story was after the excerpt from NOS4A2? Nope. I guess it was that the buildup felt slow and full of lots of interesting details and I'm sitting here, getting excited to see how they're all going to come into play , then it just ends. I guess I expected more of a climax. That being said, Joe Hill certainly has a gift for creating realistic characters who are not always 100% good but still you want to root for them somehow.
I can't really give this story more than 3 stars because I felt like I was just getting into it when it stopped. Like stopped dead. I flipped back and forth on my ereader trying to see if I'd somehow missed something. Maybe the ending of the story was after the excerpt from NOS4A2? Nope. I guess it was that the buildup felt slow and full of lots of interesting details and I'm sitting here, getting excited to see how they're all going to come into play , then it just ends. I guess I expected more of a climax. That being said, Joe Hill certainly has a gift for creating realistic characters who are not always 100% good but still you want to root for them somehow.
February 28, 2014
Just finished reading this in the graphic novel format as well as the overall story. Honestly, it is a rather predictable storyline with no surprises at all. The author tries to make it dark and twisted with detailed descriptions of Abu Ghraib, but I reckon there are newspaper reports that are much more disturbing than this story.
I am a great fan of Joe Hill, but he has missed out on a good story this time. The characters are shallow, they don't have any logical motives, and the storytelling is choppy. In my opinion, Mr. Hill should focus on the longer format i.e the novel.
P.S. In the graphic novel format, the artwork is just about average and does nothing whatsoever to enhance the story,
Strongly recommend skipping past this one.
I am a great fan of Joe Hill, but he has missed out on a good story this time. The characters are shallow, they don't have any logical motives, and the storytelling is choppy. In my opinion, Mr. Hill should focus on the longer format i.e the novel.
P.S. In the graphic novel format, the artwork is just about average and does nothing whatsoever to enhance the story,
Strongly recommend skipping past this one.
November 16, 2012
Joe Hill has become one of my favorite authors. This story had me turning the pages, but the ending had me saying "What the...?l" and that's what knocked it down a star. I read another reviewers take on it about how it wrongly portrayed American soldiers. Uh, it's a horror story and everything therein worked to help the piece. It doesn't take much to know that all American soldiers aren't like that. More like a very small percentage. Very much looking forward to NOS4A2.
June 17, 2020
3.5 stars
Eh i never thought i would enjoy a war stories in reading format.
The writing enjoyable, with some gory, psychological/PTSD and mystery mix-in.
I find Mal character as real. She's not a typical black or white, good or bad person.
But the ending left me wanting more. Aghh. >.<
And the excerpt from NOS4A2 is interesting too
Eh i never thought i would enjoy a war stories in reading format.
The writing enjoyable, with some gory, psychological/PTSD and mystery mix-in.
I find Mal character as real. She's not a typical black or white, good or bad person.
But the ending left me wanting more. Aghh. >.<
And the excerpt from NOS4A2 is interesting too
June 26, 2016
Well this is a short one I forgot to list here. It's about someone returning from the war going on in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan. She is a competent soldier with issues within and without. Some she can't control, and when she returns home she brings some of them with her. Just read this and make your own ideas and opinions. It's a quick and really good read.
Danny
Danny
October 9, 2012
Good short story. Probably a little better than a 3 star but not quite a 4. Fast read, well written, well formulated main character. The preview of NOS4A2 at the end was actually better than the short. Can't wait for that one to come out.
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