The Hole: A Novel
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Named One of the Top 10 Thrillers to Read This Summer by Time Magazine.
In this tense, gripping novel by a rising star of Korean literature, Oghi has woken from a coma after causing a devastating car accident that took his wife's life and left him paralyzed and badly disfigured. His caretaker is his mother-in-law, a widow grieving the loss of her only child. Oghi is neglected and left alone in his bed. His world shrinks to the room he lies in and his memories of his troubled relationship with his wife, a sensitive, intelligent woman who found all of her life goals thwarted except for one: cultivating the garden in front of their house. But soon Oghi notices his mother-in-law in the abandoned garden, uprooting what his wife had worked so hard to plant and obsessively digging larger and larger holes. When asked, she answers only that she is finishing what her daughter started.
A bestseller in Korea, award-winning author Hye-young Pyun's The Hole is a superbly crafted and deeply unnerving novel about the horrors of isolation and neglect in all of its banal and brutal forms. As Oghi desperately searches for a way to escape, he discovers the difficult truth about his wife and the toll their life together took on her.
Hye-Young Pyun
Hye-young Pyun is the author of several short-story collections and novels. The recipient of many of Korea's most prestigious awards, including the Dong-in Literary Award, the Yi-sang Literary Award, and the Hyundae Munhak Award, she made her literary debut when she won Seoul Shinmun's annual New Writer's Contest with her short story "Shaking Off Dew" and has continued to publish short stories in publications such as The New Yorker and Harper's Magazine. She lives in Seoul, Korea.
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Reviews for The Hole
78 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A car accident that has killed his wife has left Oyhi paralyzed. When he awakens from a coma, he is brought home, where he is to be cared for by his mother-in-law, his deceased wife's mother. Besides being paralyzed, he is temporarily unable to speak. His mother-in-law clearly blames Oyhi for her daughter's death. He is neglected by her, if not abused, as she begins digging up the beautiful garden her daughter had cultivated.This book was billed as a subtle psychological thriller. Maybe it was too subtle for me, as I found not much happened, and I didn't really understand the meaning of what did happen. However, it is a Korean prize winner, and the writing was quiet and lyrical. I don't regret reading it.2 1/2 stars
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Went back and forth between 2 and 3 stars but settled on 3 because I like the premise and atmosphere of this book and it is done well in places. Some of the chapters, though, when Oghi is looking back seemed to get wordy, which is kind of odd for such a short book. Also, what is up with the absolutely clueless physical therapist?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oghi has woken from a coma only to learn that he has been involved in an accident that has left him paralyzed and unable to speak and his wife dead. He is left in the care of his mother-in-law and is the object of neglect and abuse. He only has the small bedroom and his memories and has no control over anything in his life – his health, his money, his home, his future. His mother-in-law obviously doesn’t have Oghi’s best interests at heart. She starts to work in her dead daughter’s garden, strangely digging larger and larger holes.To say more about the plot would be to spoil the author’s meticulous rendering of this chilling story. She builds up a feeling of dread and suspense that had me on the edge of my seat. There was one scene in the book where I literally jumped out of my chair and walked around the room reading it. I flew through the book and am looking forward to more of this author. It’s a short read but definitely intriguing. Quite a literary accomplishment in the thriller genre.Recommended.This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A slow first half with some exceedingly boring flashbacks really dragged it down. The last half had some truly terrifying moments. If it wasn't so short it would've been really difficult to get through.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I think this is one of those horror novels that does its work on you after you finish reading it. I can't say I entirely "got" it, but I think it is subversive. The writing felt quite claustrophobic, and the suspense was a slow burn. By the end of it, I had no sympathy for Oghi. I believe this was the author's intent.