Reviews

Hollow by Owen Egerton

teresaalice's review against another edition

3.0

A solid 3 star. This book, about a man who lost his son and consequently his life, did pretty much nothing for me. Perhaps I've read too many "big reveal" books lately to appreciate the understatedness of this book, maybe that's it. Or maybe it just wasn't that great.

ashleekraus's review against another edition

5.0

Moving

This book was moving. It made me question what experiences could and would shape or shake my beliefs. It was difficult to put down, and I felt very connected to it. Egerton is a fantastic, descriptive writer with sweeping pros. Highly recommend.

tschonfeld's review against another edition

4.0

Devastating. We all wish there was a hollow earth at some point, I think.

nixieknox's review against another edition

3.0

I could not stop reading this. Some of the characters were so compelling, I wanted to know more - about Lyle, about Ashley, even about Oliver's landlord. I so much liked the literal parts of this, even the hollow earth stuff, but the allegory didn't quite do it for me. Mostly because I have a cold literal heart. Other than that, though, I dug it.

leah_haskett's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition

2.0

Even though the synopsis of the book suggests that the story is about a grieving father's journey to find the hollow earth, you know that Hollow by Owen Egerton is not that kind of book. It is not a science fiction or fantasy book whereby the characters do indeed find the entrance to a secret civilisation hidden beneath the earth's crust. It is about a man dealing with the death of his son. Knowing that, going into this, did help me enjoy the book as a piece of literature.

Until the book took a strange turn in the last 15% or so. It is a turn that I cannot get on board with, which explains the rating. It feels jarring from the rest of the book, in my opinion, and doesn't quite work on an allegory/metaphorical level. At least I didn't spend too much time on this.

kellyhitchcock's review against another edition

5.0

I loved all the Austin details throughout the book. Parts of it were a gut punch as a parent but it was well written, visceral, and emotionally charged. I flew through it and couldn't put it down.

flexdza's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hawkorhandsaw's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

radballen's review against another edition

5.0

Hollow is a haunting, hypnotic meditation on the struggle to recover from staggering loss. Author Owen Egerton drew me in to his story and kept me entranced the whole way through. When a toddler suddenly dies, it tears a family apart, and leaves husband Oliver adrift in his mourning. We find Oliver, a former college professor, living alone in a shed. When his pathological liar friend Lyle convinces him that the world is hollow and another civilization lives within, their desire to see this other world creates the only hope within Oliver's life. While the plot is interesting and perhaps seemingly preposterous, what I love most about this book is following Oliver through the novel as he goes deeper and deeper into his hopelessness. Ultimately, we see perhaps a small glimmer of hope for Oliver at the book's roller coaster ride conclusion. Don't be put off by the bleakness of this book. It's a brilliant examination of struggling to find some way out of the darkness and back into the light. Highly recommended!