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There are books that I read that are written so poorly that it gives me hope for my own writing. Then there are books like this that make me realize that I am a hack.
A book with a functionally mute quadriplegic protagonist seems like a very dangerous book to write. The author of such a story is basically handicapping himself before he even starts. There can't be any grand action scenes or intense scenes of dialog. Just largely the internal monologue and the impotent rage of someone who cannot affect their surroundings. That is setting yourself up for one boring book.
And yet, The Hole is anything but boring.
I read this book largely because it was a Shirley Jackson award winner, and as such, I had certain expectations for it. As I began to peel back the layers of this novel, I realized it was something else entirely, and this new, unexpected novel was a lot more interesting than the novel I thought I was reading. Instead of a pulpy novel with cheap thrills, I was reading beautiful literature. And for that reason, I absolutely adore this book.
A book with a functionally mute quadriplegic protagonist seems like a very dangerous book to write. The author of such a story is basically handicapping himself before he even starts. There can't be any grand action scenes or intense scenes of dialog. Just largely the internal monologue and the impotent rage of someone who cannot affect their surroundings. That is setting yourself up for one boring book.
And yet, The Hole is anything but boring.
I read this book largely because it was a Shirley Jackson award winner, and as such, I had certain expectations for it. As I began to peel back the layers of this novel, I realized it was something else entirely, and this new, unexpected novel was a lot more interesting than the novel I thought I was reading. Instead of a pulpy novel with cheap thrills, I was reading beautiful literature. And for that reason, I absolutely adore this book.