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emmamarie0's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Abuse of person with locked in syndromerahanahava's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
3 1/2 stars and rounding to 4 since I don't think I've uncovered all the layers here.
This book has so many layers that I'm not sure I could ever uncover them all. The comparisons to Misery and The Vegetarian is what got my attention and while there are similarities I'm not sure that's a fair assessment. This is for sure a thriller, but it's not violent or gory or heart-pounding. It's terrifying on a more psychological level I think. I mean, waking up from a coma after a horrible car accident where you lost your wife and realizing your only salvation/caretaker/family left is your MIL? That's enough to drive any normal human into a dark hole. This is Oghi's descent into all the holes.
While The Hole does refer to a literal hole it also is referenced a few different times in other ways. Oghi has a hole in the middle of his life, he is alone and falling into a hole of despair, he references his favorite map that has a hole in the middle of it from a compass. I mean, the cover is beautiful and hits the bullseye when it comes to describing this story.
“To be human was to be saddled with emptiness.”
“The world's oldest map, the Babylonian Map of the World, had a little circle bored through the center. [...] That dark, narrow hole went as deep as the memory of an age that no one could ever return to. The only way to reach that lost age was through that hole, but the hole itself could never be reached.”
"So that's what I'll do. What my daughter couldn't. What she meant to do. What she wanted to do. I have to do it for her. And I will."
This book has so many layers that I'm not sure I could ever uncover them all. The comparisons to Misery and The Vegetarian is what got my attention and while there are similarities I'm not sure that's a fair assessment. This is for sure a thriller, but it's not violent or gory or heart-pounding. It's terrifying on a more psychological level I think. I mean, waking up from a coma after a horrible car accident where you lost your wife and realizing your only salvation/caretaker/family left is your MIL? That's enough to drive any normal human into a dark hole. This is Oghi's descent into all the holes.
While The Hole does refer to a literal hole it also is referenced a few different times in other ways. Oghi has a hole in the middle of his life, he is alone and falling into a hole of despair, he references his favorite map that has a hole in the middle of it from a compass. I mean, the cover is beautiful and hits the bullseye when it comes to describing this story.
“To be human was to be saddled with emptiness.”
“The world's oldest map, the Babylonian Map of the World, had a little circle bored through the center. [...] That dark, narrow hole went as deep as the memory of an age that no one could ever return to. The only way to reach that lost age was through that hole, but the hole itself could never be reached.”
"So that's what I'll do. What my daughter couldn't. What she meant to do. What she wanted to do. I have to do it for her. And I will."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Car accident, and Emotional abuse
saint_eleanor's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this is an incredibly close and intimate look at human flaws and grief. Very raw and so depressing, a display of misery!! Kind of beautiful and very haunting though i do wish it was slightly less slow, and i also wanted some more creepy details about the MIL.
EDIT (1 yr later): adding .5 stars bc i haven't stopped thinking abt this book since i read it. That's how you know it got to ya
EDIT (1 yr later): adding .5 stars bc i haven't stopped thinking abt this book since i read it. That's how you know it got to ya
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Torture
fragoline's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Car accident
paperknotbooks's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Misery-esque. Eerie!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Confinement
Protagonist cannot moveparasolcrafter's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Ableism, Car accident, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol and Body shaming
this is gonna be a book i remember for a long time. fucked me upalanine's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Physical abuse
bookedrightmeow's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a strange and interesting read! Translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Russell, The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun is a creepy novel that’s been described as a Korean version of Stephen King’s Misery. While I think that’s a fair comparison, the storytelling here has a level of subtlety that’s unique and stands on its own.
Some scattered thoughts:
- First, an unreliable narrator: geography professor Oghi wakes from a coma after surviving a car crash that killed his wife.
- Oghi is now disfigured and paralyzed from the crash, with no one to care for him except his mother-in-law, who's understandably destroyed by the death of her only child.
- I don't think Oghi is intended to be likeable at all, but I also found myself rooting for him at times? It’s complicated, especially when we flash back to moments from the marriage.
- Since the narrative is from Oghi’s point of view, we have a limited, biased sense of who his wife truly was, which is frustrating.
- The novel is on the short side but it’s concise and packs a punch. It's an interesting study of grief, revenge, consequence, and acceptance.
Some scattered thoughts:
- First, an unreliable narrator: geography professor Oghi wakes from a coma after surviving a car crash that killed his wife.
- Oghi is now disfigured and paralyzed from the crash, with no one to care for him except his mother-in-law, who's understandably destroyed by the death of her only child.
- I don't think Oghi is intended to be likeable at all, but I also found myself rooting for him at times? It’s complicated, especially when we flash back to moments from the marriage.
- Since the narrative is from Oghi’s point of view, we have a limited, biased sense of who his wife truly was, which is frustrating.
- The novel is on the short side but it’s concise and packs a punch. It's an interesting study of grief, revenge, consequence, and acceptance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Car accident, Confinement, Death, and Grief
swinsword's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The main character is unlikable and has no character development. He got what he deserved.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
brinoverbooked's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
very disturbing and well written, but the ending felt unfinished and abruptly cut off
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death