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A review by elderlingfool
Holes by Louis Sachar
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." That is the amusing start of this novel. The book was published in the late 90s and it reminds me of the movies I watched as a kid where kids were the main characters having their own adventure. I wish I had read it as a kid because I would probably like it even more. I still really really enjoyed it though. The story started really funny and it became very emotional in the second half. It made me smile at several points and it isn't just any book that manages to do that.
Holes follows Stanley Yelnats, who was sentenced to dig holes at a juvenile correctional facility called Camp Green Lake after being accused of a crime he didn't commit. There he meets other kids that were deemed "problematic" and is confronted with terrible adults that make him question authority. As said at the end of my copy, the themes are "preserverance through hardship, the power of friendship, social justice, environmentalism, family curses and legacy, redemption and forgiveness, racism and discrimination."
The book is never boring, switching between past and present in a way that reveals a mystery that shows how long gone events connect to several characters. I really admire how every little detail wasn't forgotten and how all the pieces of the puzzle came together at the end (often in hilarious ways).
I know I am giving this book a lot of praise. It is funny, witty and I love the friendship between Stanley and Zero so so much! That said, some parts of it didn't age well. It has some of the issues that could be found in kids' media of the 80s and 90s. One particular section that comes to mind is when a woman, that is known as being very pretty but dumb by everyone has the chance to pick her husband between two of the man and she solves it by being incredibly dumb and giving reason to the narrative about her. However, those issues are not present for most of the book and there are better female characters in the story (addressing this example in particular). It is noticeable that the novel is a product of the time it was written in, but that doesn't cancel all of the good parts in contains too.
I really like this quote near the end:
"While Mrs. Bell, Stanley's former math teacher, might want to know the percent change in Stanley's weight, the reader probably cares more about the change in Stanley's character and self-confidence. But those changes are subtle and hard to measure. There is no simple answer."
Stanley changed both inside and out. One scene that almost made him tear up was when Stanley was sleeping outside tired, hungry and thirsty and with only one friend for company and he realized that he was happy and he didn't remember the last time he genuinely felt that way. He was a bullied fat kid with no friends and no courage and he had finally found a friend and did something for him that was meaningful and made him feel needed. I loved those scenes with the two of them trying to survive, but I will stop here before I enter a too spoilery territory.
In this book, plot and character work are equally important and compliment each other brilliantly. Not every character is as well developed as Stanley or Zero, but they serve their purpose in the story and the reader can fill in the holes of what is left unsaid.
Even though I really liked this book, I have no wish to read the sequel. At least not right now. My copy includes the first chapter of it and it apparently follows another one of the boys from Camp Green Lake and this first book already satisfied me to the fullest. I know that this one is a classic, but I didn't even know there was a sequel until I read this. Maybe someday I will give it a try, but for now I am really happy with this experience.
Holes follows Stanley Yelnats, who was sentenced to dig holes at a juvenile correctional facility called Camp Green Lake after being accused of a crime he didn't commit. There he meets other kids that were deemed "problematic" and is confronted with terrible adults that make him question authority. As said at the end of my copy, the themes are "preserverance through hardship, the power of friendship, social justice, environmentalism, family curses and legacy, redemption and forgiveness, racism and discrimination."
The book is never boring, switching between past and present in a way that reveals a mystery that shows how long gone events connect to several characters. I really admire how every little detail wasn't forgotten and how all the pieces of the puzzle came together at the end (often in hilarious ways).
I know I am giving this book a lot of praise. It is funny, witty and I love the friendship between Stanley and Zero so so much! That said, some parts of it didn't age well. It has some of the issues that could be found in kids' media of the 80s and 90s. One particular section that comes to mind is when a woman, that is known as being very pretty but dumb by everyone has the chance to pick her husband between two of the man and she solves it by being incredibly dumb and giving reason to the narrative about her. However, those issues are not present for most of the book and there are better female characters in the story (addressing this example in particular). It is noticeable that the novel is a product of the time it was written in, but that doesn't cancel all of the good parts in contains too.
I really like this quote near the end:
"While Mrs. Bell, Stanley's former math teacher, might want to know the percent change in Stanley's weight, the reader probably cares more about the change in Stanley's character and self-confidence. But those changes are subtle and hard to measure. There is no simple answer."
Stanley changed both inside and out. One scene that almost made him tear up was when Stanley was sleeping outside tired, hungry and thirsty and with only one friend for company and he realized that he was happy and he didn't remember the last time he genuinely felt that way. He was a bullied fat kid with no friends and no courage and he had finally found a friend and did something for him that was meaningful and made him feel needed. I loved those scenes with the two of them trying to survive, but I will stop here before I enter a too spoilery territory.
In this book, plot and character work are equally important and compliment each other brilliantly. Not every character is as well developed as Stanley or Zero, but they serve their purpose in the story and the reader can fill in the holes of what is left unsaid.
Even though I really liked this book, I have no wish to read the sequel. At least not right now. My copy includes the first chapter of it and it apparently follows another one of the boys from Camp Green Lake and this first book already satisfied me to the fullest. I know that this one is a classic, but I didn't even know there was a sequel until I read this. Maybe someday I will give it a try, but for now I am really happy with this experience.