Holes (Holes, #1)

by Louis Sachar

[clementine]

I've probably read Holes at least 23,982 times, and I've seen the movie a fair few times as well. (For some reason we were shown it in school a lot when I was a kid.) However, I hadn't read it in years, since I was a kid, really, and since I decided to keep it after the great big book cull of 2012, I thought I might as well read it again and see if it was as good as I remembered it.

And, hearteningly enough, it was. I've read a lot of books that I loved as a kid but that are just okay now, so I was bracing myself for my beloved Holes to be the same way. But, no, it's marvellous. It's beautifully plotted, with interweaving storylines that culminate in one amazing ending, and just the right mixture of realistic and a little bit crazy.

God, I don't know. I can't think of anything specific to say about this book. I just love it. I remember being so delighted as a kid by the way things came together - the Sploosh, the onions, the Thumb of God, the Mary Lou. It all worked.

I think, for me, the only issue is the last chapter. It's a bit too perfect an ending for my liking, but it really doesn't take away from the rest of the book.