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A review by art_cart_ron
House of Holes by Nicholson Baker
4.0
I'm happy to be in a place where I see this book as an appreciable fun piece of fantasy that makes a light (and somehow purely wholesome) cartoon of sex, gender, and the things that turn people on whether they want them to or not. Others may argue the point - but I feel exceptionally mature and grounded in that appreciation, recognizing that play is life - and sex is a game imposed by nature.
The best comparison I can think of is Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. I'm pretty sure Roald Dahl would have gotten a kick out of it. The characters are caring, considerate, tender, friendly, and well-mannered - they are a reversal of the seedy abuse of power that features in a lot of sexual fantasy. But don't let that description fool you into thinking it isn't outrageous and over-the-top. I find it to be an uplifting (heh) healthy psychedelic journey. A massively sexual episode of The Love Boat. The character arcs aren't deep, but they are endearing and revelatory. They make valuable caricature of (purely, for better or worse) heteronormative ideals. A much appreciated experiment.
The best comparison I can think of is Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. I'm pretty sure Roald Dahl would have gotten a kick out of it. The characters are caring, considerate, tender, friendly, and well-mannered - they are a reversal of the seedy abuse of power that features in a lot of sexual fantasy. But don't let that description fool you into thinking it isn't outrageous and over-the-top. I find it to be an uplifting (heh) healthy psychedelic journey. A massively sexual episode of The Love Boat. The character arcs aren't deep, but they are endearing and revelatory. They make valuable caricature of (purely, for better or worse) heteronormative ideals. A much appreciated experiment.