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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
“Crippled widower is nursed back to health by his enigmatic and possibly malevolent mother-in-law” is a 10/10 premise, but The Hole rarely capitalizes on its potential tension to full effect.
dark
fast-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
About a 3rd of the way into the book I realized, I have no idea what Ohgi's wife's name is.l
This book messed me up and I needed to be held afterwards. It was like being wrapped tight in an itchy weighted blanket, that’s how uncomfortable and anxious it made me. It just plays into one of the most nightmarish scenarios I can image - complete and utter lack of control and loss of autonomy. Despite my discomfort making itself audibly known, I couldn’t put this book down and ate it up all in one bite.
The story centers around Oghi, a man who has been comatose for months, and wakes to find he is horribly disfigured and mostly paralyzed. He ends up in the exclusive care of his grieving mother-in-law, whose daughter died in the crash that disabled Oghi. Oghi’s mother-in-law interprets his minimal movements and sounds to mean whatever she feels they ought, she robs him of his dignity, and she is willfully negligent, and it is just horrifying to read. Meanwhile the whole time you’re shuddering at the thought of finding yourself in a similar situation, you’re finding out more about Oghi and his life with his wife, made to wonder if caretaker strain is the only thing driving the mother-in-law’s behavior and attitude toward Oghi. The distance the author creates between Oghi and everyone else in the story - no one gets full names, they are referred to by title/relation to Oghi, or by initial - is very effective and places you in the isolated, one-way sound membrane that is Oghi’s world.
Highly recommended, but have some sort of palate cleanser entertainment for when you’re done -_-.
The story centers around Oghi, a man who has been comatose for months, and wakes to find he is horribly disfigured and mostly paralyzed. He ends up in the exclusive care of his grieving mother-in-law, whose daughter died in the crash that disabled Oghi. Oghi’s mother-in-law interprets his minimal movements and sounds to mean whatever she feels they ought, she robs him of his dignity, and she is willfully negligent, and it is just horrifying to read. Meanwhile the whole time you’re shuddering at the thought of finding yourself in a similar situation, you’re finding out more about Oghi and his life with his wife, made to wonder if caretaker strain is the only thing driving the mother-in-law’s behavior and attitude toward Oghi. The distance the author creates between Oghi and everyone else in the story - no one gets full names, they are referred to by title/relation to Oghi, or by initial - is very effective and places you in the isolated, one-way sound membrane that is Oghi’s world.
Highly recommended, but have some sort of palate cleanser entertainment for when you’re done -_-.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Medical trauma
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Un roman d’horreur psychologique où l’on suit Oghi qui se retrouve presque entièrement paralysé (il peut juste cligner des yeux) après un accident de voiture dans lequel sa femme meurt. La claustrophobie du livre, l’incapacité à s’exprimer et être compris sont extrêmement bien écrit, et tandis que le narrateur subit de plus en plus d’abus de la part de son entourage dont il se retrouve à la merci, il ressasse des souvenirs dans lesquels on découvre qu’il n’est pas aussi irréprochable qu’il y paraît. C’est bien fait et bien prenant.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dark, but also not a thriller or horror? Nothing truly interesting happens until the last 20 pages but I'm still left feeling like a missed something?
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Medical trauma
Moderate: Car accident
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes