A Hole in the World by Sid Hite – Summary & Review

This book seems interesting, but I’m concerned it may be a bit boring since it’s set on the farm (and I’ve never been one to like those kinds of books; I couldn’t even finish Little a Women) and is about a boy who is sent there due to his bad behavior. I’m expecting him to have an attitude problem and that he’ll end up learning his lesson by the end.  that’s pretty much the reason why I’m reading it; maybe it will be good for students to see the beauty of farm life and learning from your mistakes.

“You are old enough to learn from your mistakes. In a few years you’ll make all your own decisions and be responsible for yourself. Meanwhile, it’s my job to prepare you for that day. I believe you need to broaden your perspective.” (6) These words are spoken by his father, as he drives him off to a farm, which to the son is a form of punishment. Paul has apparently lied for someone and gotten himself into trouble. His dad believes that taking him to a farm for the summer will teach him the lesson he needs to learn. 

The vocabulary I have encountered thus far is quite extensive and is such literary music to my ears! Words such as veritable, usurp, and ostensibly….and those are just in one paragraph!

Paul’s room boasts a beautiful view of Gallihugh Mountain. “[My] eye was drawn repeatedly to that solitary mass rising in the west. The isolated mountains stood alone against the sky, separate from its mother range, and somehow, abstractly, expressed much of what Paul was feeling inside.” (18) I personally believe that the beauty of mountain ranges, their rugged peaks and their rolling valleys are what entrance me and keep me coming back. “The mountains are calling and I must go.”   — John Muir. 

“It is not uncommon for individuals oppressed by trying circumstances to enjoy a dash of optimism at the onset of a new day.” (25) I think I may beg to differ on this point, as waking up early has always been a struggle! Unless it is in reference to the feeling of starting over, especially after you’ve had a bad evening or a lot on your mind previous day.

As the novel slowly continues, we are introduced to multiple characters that live in the home and/or take care of the farm, including a dog, Einstein, that stays on the property. A character named Hennley is mentioned, who was the dog’s owner, but died the previous year.

Paul has begun to work different jobs on the farm, such as shoveling pig crap, and I wonder if it’s going to get better. Out of the blue, Paul asks his coworker of the day, Dundas, if the dog’s owner will ever be coming back. He responds that he (Hennley) spends “most of his time down in the hole with the devil.“ This confuses Paul, but Dundas says that Hennley gets out from time to time. Ummmmm, what?!

However, there’s so much farm talk that I’m not sure how much I can get through before we find out who this Hennley character is. 

Paul talks with Granny outside about Hennley and how he was “always cautious about what he said or did not say. [He] respected words…[He] believed they lived in the air after they were spoken.” (58) I too I believe this similar sentiment. Especially when exact words are spoken by different people in the same space, at completely different times.

“In the following half hour Paul got so wrapped up thinking about words living in the air, about taffy stretching but not the truth, about a girl named Rebecca standing in a meadow… He did not notice that the stars came out and then were obscured by a dense blanket of clouds.” (60) It’s  true – when you are surrounded by a calm environment, with nothing to distract you but the beauty of nature, your thoughts can wander and actually give you time to truly think. 

Saturday of his first week comes and he decides that he will climb Gallihugh Mountain. Einstein, the farm dog, follows along with him. He comes up on a cottage where Rebecca, a young girl he saw in the field before, is hanging out. He remarks that he had seen her standing in the meadow and she says that she saw him looking at her. “Until now, Paul had felt relatively composed. However, in the quicksilver turn an instant he lost access to his own good senses and could not find a stable thought in his head.… He’s never met anyone who made him feel as transparent as he felt now.” (87) Sweet, young love to turn this rather boring story into something more meaningful.  

When he reaches the summit of the mountain, the view is majestic. As he admired the view, he had an interesting thought…one that is only found on a mountaintop. “What if I was sent here to remind people of Hennley Gray so I could learn about his life?” (94)

The more we learn about Hennley, the more you realize why everyone loved him so much and why he is so sorely missed. “It’s not the loss that’s hard to live with.… he had a respectful way of listening when people spoke. It’s not easy to describe, but the attention he gave people made them feel as if what they were saying was important, and by extension, they were important to Hennley…[Now] there’s no one to remind us every day of how important we are. [We miss] the simple honor of sharing our lives with his rare character.” (103) Oh, to be described in such a romantic and heartfelt way! Doesn’t everyone wish to be missed like this? I hope he knew how important he was before he died.

When Paul goes back home for the Fourth of July, he remarks that his friends were only “superficially interested in his experiences on the farm…[they were] simply not curious about the details of where he had been or who he had met.” (115) He states that it’s probably better that they didn’t know because they would be cynical and not understand the life of a farmer. It made me think of the what his dad said before, “to the desert is the jungle real?” (10) which was to imply that those who are in the desert don’t know what it’s like to be in the jungle and vice versa.

While taking a break after baling hay, Dundas all of a sudden puts his hands on his ears and falls to the ground. Apparently he says that he has heard Hennley speak to him.. “Fight your demons while they’re little folks. If you don’t, they grow to be monsters. Then you’ll never lick them.” (134) Now, I would love to interpret what he meant by that, but it doesn’t quite make a lot of sense.

Rebecca, Paul’s new found love interest and the one who found Hennley hanging in the barn, inherited the cottage that Hennley lived in. She hadn’t been in it since he died, but she decided to finally go in with Paul there. She finds a letter written to her on a round oak table in the front room. His words to her are meaningful and meant to make her feel hopeful. “I hope you will keep [the cottage]… for when you…desire a tranquil retreat from the world…always listen to the wisdom in your heart. Your heart will guide you through times of confusion and protect you from distracting fools. People who know their hearts know themselves. They are the lucky ones.” (153)

I have to admit, though — the characters for their age are so wise beyond their years. Based on the way that I know teenagers to be, it’s hard to imagine them behaving and thinking in the ways that these do. They are definitely very mature for their age and it’s sometimes hard to believe how they speak and interact with one another.  this book was written in the early 2000’s though and times have definitely changed since then.

During this time, the dog has gone missing; the last time he was seen was when Dundas had heard Hennley‘s voice speak to him. Now, there are a few people who are gathering at Maya’s house to perform a séance; they want to find out if Hennley is still on the farm. If he is, they want to tell them him that he is free to go. 

Maya,m starts the seance after dinner. “The realm of spirit entities exists everywhere around us. It is only the density of our emotional bodies in the clutter in our minds that separates us from that realm. Empty your mind of that clutter. Let it fall away until nothing remains.” (166) It makes you wonder if the reason people are unable to hear spirits or be in contact with those on the other side is because they are so crowded with their own thoughts. 

Maya continues, “We are conduits for your words. Speak if you are here.” (167) Suddenly, Paul becomes aware of a “minute, bioelectrical charge entering him through Rebecca’s fingertip… slowly but surely Paul’s consciousness was absorbed by something larger than himself.” (167-168) Paul feels that a fifth presence has entered the room, jumps out of his chair, and opens the front door to find Einstein has returned. Wait — that was it? How anticlimactic! However, there was talk about Hennley being able to telepathically talk with Einstein, so there is that slight connection there. 

Dundas finally admits that he never saw Hennley’ ghost and that he’s never heard him speak after his death either. “I just made that up because I missed him so much and no one would ever talk about him.” (190) People will conjure up things in order to keep someone’s memory alive, even if it may seem crazy or unbelievable. 

Unfortunately, Einstein had run too close to the truck he loved to chase, and was run over. He was placed in the truck, sat up to see the view from the windshield, just as he had done with Hennley, and then died. The family and friends held a small funeral for him and buried him in the cottage yard. 

“Some understandings are implicit in the experience and cannot be reduced to metaphor. What one learns from experience becomes personal wisdom, known only to the inner self, and then only and individually invented the capillary of codes, symbols, and intuitive connections. Such was Paul Shackleford’s understanding of his summer on the Vallenport’s farm.” (197)

With that, the book ended. Such a bland story which barely held my interest. How thankful I am to start another novel! Recently, a friend told me that when he gets to page 100, he decides if the book is worth it to continue reading. I thought of this when I got there, but decided to keep reading. Was it worth it to have finished? I’m thinking…not so much. 

I would say 1/5 stars, but I feel that the vocabulary and the slight story line give it some oomph. It wasn’t horrible by any means, so 2/5 is my final answer. 

If you’d like to give it a try, check it out on Amazon.