The Hole

By Hiroko Oyamada

Rarely will a book encapsulate so many concepts while ultimately being about nothing. Reading The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada, I kept having theories about what could possibly be going on. Was the neighbor a future or alternate reality version of Asa? Was the stepmother? Did the brother have any supernatural relationship with the grandfather, or was he a ghost himself? Oyamada conjures a supernatural community that couldn’t be more mundane, while making the mundanity of everyday life feel dramatically necessary to her character’s well being. I was fascinated by how much I still do not know throughout the book, and now that it’s over I feel like I have a better understanding without any resolution to those mysteries.

Oyamada’s writing style keeps the bite-sized novella racing along while throwing both her characters and readers into an existential crisis every other chapter. While everyone within this small village community appears trustworthy, each has a pile of secrets that to even understand is too much for the author to reveal. Wanting to know more at every word was a delight, and due to the nature of the book, there was never a moment when mystery felt unfairly kept. It would have been a disappointment to have the shrouds draped over the interactions lifted, to understand a single thing would have felt like a betrayal of what the novella was meant to be. 

The cover looks like a screaming face made out of grass to me. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be some sort of Rorschach Test for the reader that changes as you continue to read. Even if you don’t see what I do, the art gives off the surreal feeling that something is very not right with what you are looking at, and while you should leave well enough alone, there’s something interesting about it that tugs at the curiosity in the back of your mind. 

It’s hard to say anything more without saying everything when there’s so little to say so much about. I don’t want to drive home that The Hole is about nothing or that nothing happens. There are plenty of remarkable events happening within its 92 pages. I did leave the reading with a greater understanding of what’s going on, it’s just that I don’t know what’s going on. You want more of an explanation? Then go read it, it’s 92 pages long and can easily be finished in a single sitting.