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chicokc's review against another edition
4.0
Un grupo de reos trata de meter droga a la cárcel de Lecumberri, pero para eso tienen que usar la ayuda de El Carajo, un reo que está malito.
smuds2's review
4.0
UNFINISHED
REVIEW RATING SYSTEM - [ 1 = FELT DECEIVED, 2 = NOT WHAT I EXPECTED IN A BAD WAY BUT WASN'T A WASTE OF TIME, 3 = WHAT I EXPECTED FELT LIKE MY TIME WAS USED AS EXPECTED, 4 = PLEASANTLY SURPRISED, 5 = THINKING ABOUT IT MONTHS LATER ]
RULES : (1) can not give anything a 5 outright, must either be a re-read or a update to score, (2) can not give incremental ratings, except for 4.75 which is functionally a "revisit in case it is actually a 5", (3) I should always end with a "this leads me to think" of 2-3 ideas this book roused in me.
I'm reviewing this on the 2nd read, a few years after the first.
The book is written in a very disorienting manner, constantly, and with no indication, passing from one person to another. Because there are no paragraph breaks, you somtimes can't really tell who you are reading from until a bit into the sentence.. Adds to the unsettling nature of the story.
high level plot overview - three guys in a very dehumanizing prison, modeled a bit after panopticon. albino, P, and The Prick. First two have their partners come visit along with The Pricks mom - who has drugs in her crotch to 'deliver' to the cellmates. Basically they hate the prick because he's annoying, useless, etc, and that drives some pacing in the story because they're like "we wanna kill prick after we get the drugs".
Ladies come in, try to make a scene so the guards become distracted so they can hand off the drugs - it doesn't work and instead the 3 dudes get stuck in a cell/courtyard/place with some guards and the governor and they just absolutely demolish each other.
By the end, the dudes are put back in the cell, mission failed, and no longer want to kill the cripple because whats the point
I'm not sure I really understand it. There is the obvious "who is really jailed, the jailors or the jailed, because the jailors are stuck caring about the jailed and their activities, so aren't they all jailed". There's copious use of animals (jailors are apes, lower in evolution), other people referred to as animals, etc)
There is maybe a parallel to the bible? The pricks mother is always referred to as "The Mother", the Prick would then be jesus, I guess? IDK. I'm not a theologian.
REVIEW RATING SYSTEM - [ 1 = FELT DECEIVED, 2 = NOT WHAT I EXPECTED IN A BAD WAY BUT WASN'T A WASTE OF TIME, 3 = WHAT I EXPECTED FELT LIKE MY TIME WAS USED AS EXPECTED, 4 = PLEASANTLY SURPRISED, 5 = THINKING ABOUT IT MONTHS LATER ]
RULES : (1) can not give anything a 5 outright, must either be a re-read or a update to score, (2) can not give incremental ratings, except for 4.75 which is functionally a "revisit in case it is actually a 5", (3) I should always end with a "this leads me to think" of 2-3 ideas this book roused in me.
I'm reviewing this on the 2nd read, a few years after the first.
The book is written in a very disorienting manner, constantly, and with no indication, passing from one person to another. Because there are no paragraph breaks, you somtimes can't really tell who you are reading from until a bit into the sentence.. Adds to the unsettling nature of the story.
high level plot overview - three guys in a very dehumanizing prison, modeled a bit after panopticon. albino, P, and The Prick. First two have their partners come visit along with The Pricks mom - who has drugs in her crotch to 'deliver' to the cellmates. Basically they hate the prick because he's annoying, useless, etc, and that drives some pacing in the story because they're like "we wanna kill prick after we get the drugs".
Ladies come in, try to make a scene so the guards become distracted so they can hand off the drugs - it doesn't work and instead the 3 dudes get stuck in a cell/courtyard/place with some guards and the governor and they just absolutely demolish each other.
By the end, the dudes are put back in the cell, mission failed, and no longer want to kill the cripple because whats the point
I'm not sure I really understand it. There is the obvious "who is really jailed, the jailors or the jailed, because the jailors are stuck caring about the jailed and their activities, so aren't they all jailed". There's copious use of animals (jailors are apes, lower in evolution), other people referred to as animals, etc)
There is maybe a parallel to the bible? The pricks mother is always referred to as "The Mother", the Prick would then be jesus, I guess? IDK. I'm not a theologian.
chillcox15's review
5.0
A depraved little novella about life in Mexican prison and the process of smuggling drugs into said prison. Gross, unnerving, and influential. It rules!
pearloz's review
3.0
That was a quick punch of a novel. Really good economical but vivid storytelling, the story of an incident but it was rendered quite powerfully. I look forward to reading more from this author.
alyssa_olaf's review
2.0
Would ultimately give this a 2.5 star rating because I can’t see myself recommending it to someone else because it’s chaos to analyze.
emsemsems's review
3.0
“Everybody knows that jail doesn’t help reintegrate those who have renounced the pursuit of society’s norms; it only serves as a spectacle that feeds our leisure hours with the newspaper and television — the panopticon that we contemplate as evidence of our moral superiority. In a country and an era of unparalleled imprisonment we are all, along with the novel’s narrator, an amused audience, a bunch of cold witnesses. We are accomplices and we are all directly compromised.” – Introduction by Álvaro Enrigue
What the fuck. The ending messed me up. Why did he do that?! You got to have a tough stomach lining with a generous amount of strong acids for this. It’s definitely rough, and quite heavy. Not easy to digest. Will probably require a second reading at a later date. Do yourself a favour and don’t skip the introduction by Enrigue which I think is essential to appreciating the (Revueltas) work itself.
I find it difficult to consider this is a ‘masterpiece’ as others &/ some Latin American writers have considered it to be. But I do think that the Revueltas’ writing gives a lot to the readers. And I think I wasn’t able to experience the writing/book fully upon my first reading because of my own ignorance. If I’m better informed/have more knowledge of that political/historical event/period of time, I’d surely be able to have a more thorough reading experience.
Also, this is third book in 2021 that I've read with the same title. The other two being : Hye-Young Pyun's [b:The Hole|31213272|The Hole|Hye-Young Pyun|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1473929444l/31213272._SX50_.jpg|51867833] and Hiroko Oyamada's [b:The Hole|51283868|The Hole|Hiroko Oyamada|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597104641l/51283868._SY75_.jpg|41050724]. And they're all jarringly different 'holes'. I don't have a preference.
What the fuck. The ending messed me up. Why did he do that?! You got to have a tough stomach lining with a generous amount of strong acids for this. It’s definitely rough, and quite heavy. Not easy to digest. Will probably require a second reading at a later date. Do yourself a favour and don’t skip the introduction by Enrigue which I think is essential to appreciating the (Revueltas) work itself.
I find it difficult to consider this is a ‘masterpiece’ as others &/ some Latin American writers have considered it to be. But I do think that the Revueltas’ writing gives a lot to the readers. And I think I wasn’t able to experience the writing/book fully upon my first reading because of my own ignorance. If I’m better informed/have more knowledge of that political/historical event/period of time, I’d surely be able to have a more thorough reading experience.
Also, this is third book in 2021 that I've read with the same title. The other two being : Hye-Young Pyun's [b:The Hole|31213272|The Hole|Hye-Young Pyun|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1473929444l/31213272._SX50_.jpg|51867833] and Hiroko Oyamada's [b:The Hole|51283868|The Hole|Hiroko Oyamada|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597104641l/51283868._SY75_.jpg|41050724]. And they're all jarringly different 'holes'. I don't have a preference.
courtewell's review
challenging
medium-paced
2.0
It was hard to understand the subjects of the narrative.
sagebrush's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0