The Hole is a psychological thriller by South Korean author Hye-Young Pyun, a rising star who has won several of Korea's most prestigious literary awards, as well as the Shirley Jackson Award. It cannot help but be compared to Stephen King's Misery and the works of Shirley Jackson - we are in that neighbourhood. The Korean word for 'hole' can also be translated as 'alone'.
Oghi awakens from a coma after a devastating car crash that killed his wife. Unable to move anything except his eyelids, he is a prisoner in his body. Now, his only living relative is his mother-in-law, who moves into his home to become caregiver. A therapist and a nurse do little and rarely visit; the mother-in-law tends to his feeding and care, then soon loses interest and leaves him alone for hours. There is nothing he can do about this stranger moving into his life, taking over his office and accounts, disrupting and even halting his rehabilitation. She begins rearranging her daughters garden, essentially removing plants without asking. Soon, she begins to dig a pool sized hole which he is only slightly aware of. Oghi occasionally has business friends visit, but is frustrated they cannot understand his growing attempts at speech or see the progress in his movements - or is this rehabilitation in his mind? He can see no escape.
This could be read-into on many levels, but I found it slightly flat. The horror is to be trapped in a shell, to have no control over your life, to face a life of neglect. The mother-in-law may be motivated by grief, but little is explored with her. This is Oghi's story, and while he questions everything before the accident - if it was even an accident - the outcome for him is quite bleak.
Insular. Paralyzing. Alone.
Interesting, but not as easily recommended as I hoped it was going to be.
2016 / Hardcover / 198 pages
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