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rorikae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
‘The Hole’ by Hye-Young Pyun is a short novel that details the life of a man paralyzed after a horrific car accident that killed his wife. His mother-in-law begins to take care of him but things aren’t quite as they seem as she begins to dig a hole in the garden his wife created.
The Hole is a very quick book that I wish had been more suspenseful. We get a lot of meditations from the main character about being stuck in bed after the accident and the horrors of feeling out of control. I think this could have been ramped up even further. I was expecting more outright suspense and a threatening atmosphere but it was much slower and methodical of a book. The writing itself is good but I feel like this book could have benefited from creating more atmosphere. The last few chapters did exactly what I was expecting/hoping for and the end is sinister. I wish that this had been more present throughout the rest of the story since it is clear how well the author can create this sense of dread and suspense from the last few chapters.
This is much more literary fiction in the first half/two thirds of the book and I wish that the suspenseful/horrific aspects had been ramped up to more quickly.
The Hole is a very quick book that I wish had been more suspenseful. We get a lot of meditations from the main character about being stuck in bed after the accident and the horrors of feeling out of control. I think this could have been ramped up even further. I was expecting more outright suspense and a threatening atmosphere but it was much slower and methodical of a book. The writing itself is good but I feel like this book could have benefited from creating more atmosphere. The last few chapters did exactly what I was expecting/hoping for and the end is sinister. I wish that this had been more present throughout the rest of the story since it is clear how well the author can create this sense of dread and suspense from the last few chapters.
This is much more literary fiction in the first half/two thirds of the book and I wish that the suspenseful/horrific aspects had been ramped up to more quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Car accident, Confinement, and Grief
zoparham's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Medical trauma
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Body horror, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
rachelunabridged's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Sexual assault, Ableism, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Infidelity, Death, and Infertility
Minor: Sexual content
mishshell's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I just don’t think this book was for me
It was creepy and sad and there wasn’t even a shred of hope to hold on to that it would get better
Just a very depressing read and not enjoyable for me
It was creepy and sad and there wasn’t even a shred of hope to hold on to that it would get better
Just a very depressing read and not enjoyable for me
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Miscarriage
brucethegirl's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It's the ableism as body horror for me.
But at the end of the day, the translation was excellent, the main reason this is 2 not 1 star. The way the translator was able to convey subtle aspects of Korean culture so brilliantly was honestly masterful. With only a single hiccup where they had to explain the relation between the different meanings of the word chagi.
I'll also admit that there were certainly aspects of this book that I really enjoyed, and that could have made me really love it- the things that kept me from DNFing in the face of the disgusting ablism. Most notably was the way the sexism and also the disintegration of their marriage was portrayed. It was clear if you read between the lines, but subtle enough I could see how it would be missed. But even from the first few pages, the hints are already there. It's how we're led to empathize with Ogi through the terrors he faces when he doesn't even recognize himself as the monster of his story.
But then that brings us to the real issue with the book. The way the real horror is so reliant on the ableism, not in the horror of how another could treat someone this way, but in the horror of losing control of his own body and being at the whims of another. Too often ableism is used as a means of horror, the way a reader can find themself in a state of horror without a monster having to be present. A different level of body horror that I just can't stand. Yes, the way his mother in law treats him is messed up, but its the lack of him being able to do anything as she forces his condition to worsen that makes the reader want him to triumph even as the horrors of his own actions are revealed.
There was so much promise in this book, ruined by the need to make disability horrific. That easy way out used to force a reader to observe a body at not fully functioning capacity in order to make them uncomfortable. That aspect was too much for me.
But at the end of the day, the translation was excellent, the main reason this is 2 not 1 star. The way the translator was able to convey subtle aspects of Korean culture so brilliantly was honestly masterful. With only a single hiccup where they had to explain the relation between the different meanings of the word chagi.
I'll also admit that there were certainly aspects of this book that I really enjoyed, and that could have made me really love it- the things that kept me from DNFing in the face of the disgusting ablism. Most notably was the way the sexism and also the disintegration of their marriage was portrayed. It was clear if you read between the lines, but subtle enough I could see how it would be missed. But even from the first few pages, the hints are already there. It's how we're led to empathize with Ogi through the terrors he faces when he doesn't even recognize himself as the monster of his story.
But then that brings us to the real issue with the book. The way the real horror is so reliant on the ableism, not in the horror of how another could treat someone this way, but in the horror of losing control of his own body and being at the whims of another. Too often ableism is used as a means of horror, the way a reader can find themself in a state of horror without a monster having to be present. A different level of body horror that I just can't stand. Yes, the way his mother in law treats him is messed up, but its the lack of him being able to do anything as she forces his condition to worsen that makes the reader want him to triumph even as the horrors of his own actions are revealed.
There was so much promise in this book, ruined by the need to make disability horrific. That easy way out used to force a reader to observe a body at not fully functioning capacity in order to make them uncomfortable. That aspect was too much for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Medical content, Ableism, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
mbaileym99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts
saltuarium's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Car accident, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Medical trauma, Medical content, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
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
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