[.ca] The Hole (ISBN 0552999008)

Worth the Read:
The query on the back of the book and the intriguing cover worked as good bait, reeling me in to the pages that shaped Guy Burt's story. Initially, I thought the dialogue and meaningless Tarantino conversations between the characters were terribly written. There were two things that pushed me forward while reading this book, two things that kept me from throwing it into Clif's slush pile (a box of bad books in my closet that I will eventually get around to selling either on Ebay or Amazon). Number one, Mr. Burt was only eighteen when he wrote this book, so I HAD to cut him some slack as far as writing style. Number two, it's a short read, and I hate to quit a book once I've started it -- and guess what? I'm so glad that I didn't -- quit, that is, because in the end I find out that I've been tricked by Mr. Burt. His eighteen year old style of writing was merely a cloak, a disguise. The end of the book was a total 180, and it sent chills down my spine and I liked it... alot. I don't think this would have worked if the story would have been too much longer than it was, Although I wish the brilliance in the end would have dragged out a while longer. Bottom line, because it is such a short read, getting to the end is well worth the time and entertainment. I'm interested in how the movie will turn out. CW (the Basic Bottom line)

Very disturbing and well written book:
I'm normally a tough grader and hardly ever give 5 stars to a book. This book deserves between 4.5 and 5 stars. The book is a shocking, deeply disturbing tale of psychological suspense. It would be a good to very good book until the last few pages are reached. The ending twists the rest of the book around, and gives a solid explanation for some of the problems that you see before and raises the book to the status of excellent. I enjoyed the book more than "Lord of the Flies". Its a quick read -- you can toss it off in 2 hours, but I don't have any problem with that. If you prefer longer books, then this might not be right for you. I certainly got value and then some for my money.

Premise, Promise, and Payoff!:
The cover and premise of this book intrigued me. The comparison to "Lord of the Flies" convinced me to give it a shot. The fact that Guy Burt wrote this when he was merely eighteen adds a bit of morbid fascination to this sinister and twisting tale. Now let's get this straight...this book never reaches the status of "Lord of the Flies." Where the classic book of human depravity painted a broad picture, "The Hole" paints a focused and limited picture. I don't believe the author attempts to make huge social statements, but I do believe he sets out to unsettle us. And he succeeds. The story revolves around five friends who agree to be locked for three days in a forgotten hole, a sunken room of a British school. The sixth friend is supposed to come and release them after this "experiment with real life." What they don't realize is that the sixth friend has no such intention. In fact, he intends for them to face the brutal horror of survival. As the reader, we don't understand all the reasonings at first, but we do sense a creeping, claustrophobic doom. We wait for something horrible to happen. Here's the clincher, though... The book's premise appears to promise more than it can deliver. Even in the last chapter, I wondered if I'd missed something. After following first and third person accounts and tape-recorded accounts, I wondered if the mental gymnastics were worth the final payoff. Then, with my interest still firmly intact, I read the epilogue. Ahh, yes...it was worth it. There's more here than meets the eye. The author, in his focused and limited picture, paints vividly. Only as we step away from "The Hole" do we realize how truly awful the painting is. The author only hints at most of the dark doings, thus succeeding in releasing the horrors of our own thoughts. As I filled in the details from my own imagination, I realized that "The Hole" does succeed in showing the dark side of humanity. It does so, in part, by allowing us to dredge it up ourselves. Now that's some good writing.

Intriguing:
As a first novel written by an eighteen-year-old author, The Hole is a marvel reminiscent of the old Twilight Zone television program's style of suspense. The blurb on the cover reveals most of the plot thereby indicating that the plot is not a main attraction in this psychological thriller. Character study builds the suspense, as well as, curiosity as to how the young people manage to survive the ordeal. A confusing style of writing, in which the author switches back and forth between a narrator and first person account, makes the book difficult to follow for the first few chapters. The unique twist revealed in the epilogue leaves the reader feeling intrigued because what actually happened in the hole is never disclosed - only theories are given.

Incredible Book:
At first, I thought the dialogue was confusing to the point that I wasn't even sure who the narrator was. Then, as I read further, I became enthralled. I had it all figured out. But, with the epilogue, I found that I hadn't figured anything out, although the clues were certainly there. A masterful work by an 18 year old writer.