A review by gxuosi
The Hole by Pyun Hye-young

4.0

little compares the nauseating dread and tension of that last 60 pages. a theme i've noticed in korean literary fiction and horror is the subtle but overarching theme of the lack of woman's identity. oghi never says his wife's name, she is always his wife and his mother-in-law is much the same. oghi's complete failure to communicate with his wife while she was alive vs his physical inability to communicate with anyone post accident is a telling parallel. and while we get the sense that oghi isn't the most worthy cause of empathy as his story unfolds, perhaps the sheer level of trauma done unto him is excessive for what he's being held accountable for.