Holes'Holes' reminded me of an experience, an adventure.
It was a part-time, short-term assignment with a local pest controller in Indore (India). My job - to monitor service quality. How? - through site inspection.
So, this was a petrol pump, an old one, some where at the periphery of the city, surrounded by thick foliage, felt almost like in the middle of a Jungle.
On Sunday afternoon, hot sunny day, we reached the site and asked the guys to shut down the generator and vacate the place for a few hours. They had requested for 'Lizard Control' service.
I stood close to a massive, old style, weathered sign board just behind the large L-shaped office hall. The guys began spraying the chemical on the walls, first. Little was I informed, what would transpire next. Poor me!
An unprecedented phenomenon took place in front of my eyes; the moment chemical entered the sign board - MASS EXODUS. A congregation of lizards slithered out from the signboard and surged towards the two workers and me. We were caught off-guard, and before we thought of escaping, we were in the middle of a wedding reception.
Let me give a little hint on what happened next and then suspend the rest of the story here. I took off my t-shirt and.....began...
Holes is a recent recommendation. My post on - Lord of the Flies invited it.
Story Plot
Stanley Yelnats (the protagonist) is under a curse; running down through generations. He finds himself in a boys’ detainment center called Camp Green Lake, where these boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes.
It doesn’t take long for him to realize there’s more than character advancement going on at Camp Green Lake. Is the warden looking for something buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth.
Conclusion
One-of-a-kind book with unique characterizations. It keeps you enthralled with surprises, pages after pages. Don't be surprised if the flight of your imagination takes you right up to the dried lake and propels you to dig holes with those characters, at places I experienced it too.
Stanley is portrayed to be a quiet boy at the beginning of the book, but as the story progresses, his character becomes more meaningful.
The twists and turns in this book are fantastic and will keep you engaged. I liked the book, and in some ways, it has similarities to the Lord of the Flies. Overall, these characters are what keep the story flowing smoothly. Excellent Read!
Next Step - Movie!
Cheers!