This novel was near-perfect until midway through. Jude is definitely an anti-hero, but he's interesting enough to engage you in his story, and it's an awesome premise--buying a ghost online. (Usually death-metal bands don't achieve the level of fame and recognizability that he apparently has, but I can suspend my disbelief.) 
 However, by the halfway point, Heart-Shaped Box gets mired in repetition. The same villain doing the same things, and the same sins committed by different people. An endless, joyless road trip. Fifty to seventy pages could easily be trimmed and would improve the pace considerably. I also grew tired of the constant "bitch" and "whore" insults hurled at most of the female characters, but at least Hill doesn't kill everyone with a vagina. ;) The Lord of the Rings-style chain of epilogues seemed unnecessary as well. It's a great story, but it's not a sweeping saga. 
 There was one aspect of this book that completely blew my suspension of disbelief (what Jessica does to her daughter). If a parent is capable of that, there should be some consistent nasty behaviour, which wasn't demonstrated at all. Out of everything in this book, that was the plot point I struggled with most - I just don't buy it. 
 Those criticisms aside, Hill's debut is one of the better horror books I've read in a long time, and well worth picking up. He's an adept storyteller who is only going to improve as he hones his craft.