A Hole in the Story

by Ken Kalfus

“A cunning writer with masterful timing and an outrageous sense of humor.”—Gary Shteyngart

An irreverent, darkly comic novel dissecting the misjudgments, hypocrisies, and occasional good motives that drive our politics and our journalism, as well as our most intimate personal relations. 

At his desk one day, prominent Washington commentator Adam Zweig receives a text message. “Btw want to give you a heads-up abt some breaking news,” it reads. “Call soonest.” These are the early rumblings of an eventual media storm generated by small-town reporter Valerie Iovine, who has gone public with her account of sexual harassment at the hands of esteemed editor and liberal icon Max Lieberthol. Twenty years have passed since the incident, and though Adam wasn’t directly involved, he quickly finds himself implicated and entangled, his career under imminent threat.

Adam has never forgotten his history with as former colleagues, their workplace collaboration had gradually tipped into a mutual romantic attraction. Or so he believed. Confronted by the claims against his former boss and a growing awareness of rampant sexism in his industry, Adam, who had always thought of himself as progressive, is forced to challenge his own assumptions over the years. What once seemed incidental becomes sinister; what once seemed like a blundering encounter helped derail a young woman’s promising career.

Sly and ironic, A Hole in the Story explores one imperfect man’s dilemmas as he tries to keep his feet in a shifting moral landscape. 

Genres: Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2025

About the author

He was born in the Bronx, NY and grew up in Plainview, Long Island.

Kalfus started college at Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, but dropped out after the first year. He attended various other universities including the New School for Social Research in Manhattan and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Kalfus started writing at an early age.

Reviews

[Kaitlyn Kwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dynamic, thought-provoking, and a difficult and somewhat haunting read; this one is going to sit with me for a while. There’s a lot to unpack in the narrative and Kalfus does an excellent job with the character‘s progression all the way until the end. Would be a good book club pick so long as folks are willing to keep an open mind and not take offense to where the story goes.

[Matt Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

A predictable page turner that is maybe 10 years too late to feel particularly relevant. I mostly read it for the B plot story line about the capital habeas attorney. That part was excellent, although I felt Kalfus was a bit sadistic to the character.

[Rowena Shuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, timely and thought provoking

[Corey Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn, I don't even know what to say about this book. I hope the author is using a play on words with the title, because that would deliver some (needed) justice. If he intends for the title to mean "A-hole" in the story, as in "Asshole in the Story," then I like the book a lot more. The ending really got to me. SPOILERS AHEAD.

First you like Adam, then you find out Adam is actually a skeeze, and then Adam gets a big promotion. His #MeToo outing is nothing but a blip for him, and he faces no serious lasting consequences (he does lose a gig on MSNBC, but then becomes editor of a magazine with a fat paycheck, so it's a net positive for him). Does the author side with Adam or not? I couldn't really tell, which made for a morally ambiguous reading experience. Maybe that's what the author intended.

I finished this book feeling disappointed that Adam never got his comeuppance, but maybe that's the point of the book - that most men still get away with it. Which is *dark*. OR, maybe the point of the book is that attraction and sex can be complicated, and people (men) can mess up (badly) even when they have the best of intentions, and that's just part of life. Maybe the point of the book is BOTH of these points. I AM NOT SURE. I would love to hear thoughts from others who have finished it!

[Caleb Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read my first Kalfus, A Hole in the Story, (an FB connection linked to it and piqued my curiosity). I’m processing my thoughts, but it's very compelling and a quick read. The #MeToo politics resonate.

My wife, who works in the corporate environment, has told me of multiple times of peers, whether slightly or quite a bit higher in the corporate chain, who made explicit passes. Especially in her early days. She despises the dynamic of men in power taking advantage of such. I'm on her side. It’s a worthy element of the culture to be aware of and take a stand against.

Back to A Hole, not sure if I’m completely satisfied with the ending, as I wanted different twists, or a less ambiguous resolution, but such is art and life; the book earns 5 stars. The newsroom culture really drew me in, the prose flies by in its concise and erudite knowledge of the terrain and fascinating snapshots of our culture. I’ve already queued up A Disorder Peculiar to the Country.

[Mario Mirabelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

#metoo at its finest. Twenty years earlier a pillar of publishing industry makes a pass at a twenty something, female very attractive freelance writer while reviewing her draft of a story for the weekly magazine. Distraught, she storms out of the office but is intercepted by one of the seasoned writers who tries to console her. Fast forward to the height of the #metoo era and the young writer posts her accusation. Social Media hijinks ensue. Well done.

[Readersaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and important read.

Most readers, living in the 2020s, will see the reveal coming long before the narrator, a writer who has considered himself an ethical, good guy.

Folks will want to remember that sexual harassment was not really considered a crime in this country until the 1980s. A lot went unreported, and the dominant culture socialized men to think their behavior was ok and to ignore the resistance of the people they assaulted and harassed.

[Kim DeNero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down and have many compliments about it. The characters are incredibly well written, the dialogue is believable and the topic still resonates.

However, there's no (&^$#& way that I'm buying that Valerie went braless to work frequently, ESPECIALLY when she was wearing a white shirt. Mr. Kalfus, please give women more credit than that. You should've run that detail by a female editor.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) A riveting and sadly no longer topical examination of the #metoo movement told from the perspective of a white male journalist who learns that he can simultaneously (or at least in quick succession) be an ally to a wronged female colleague, then complicit in her suffering, and then the cause of it. A richly told, really uncomfortable tale.

[PattyB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know I feel about this book. It was one of the more thought provoking books I've read in a long time. I didn't really see the humor that other reviews touted, but it is well written, relevant, and I've been thinking about it since I finished it this afternoon.

[Peter Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

All three men, though, were bundled together in her experience of her twenty-sixth year. Try to pull one out and the other two came with him, grabbing hold of an arm or leg, followed by other men or fragments of men or thoughts of men or desires of men, past and future.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fun read. I liked the writing style and the storyline was interesting, with flawed characters that made for good storytelling.

[Karly Kimerer]

didnt like it after 20 pages so i didnt read the rest

[Steven Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

maybe i should have expected the turn this took. maybe we should all know better. this really worked for me

[Carmen Petaccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

ken has never missed

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

typical. man rewarded for rape-like behavior.

[Barry Klayman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read, engrossing and entertaining yet quite serious in its dissection of many current issues. Satirical and thought provoking.