【Book Review】Holes

Holes

I don't like this cover, even though
this is the most common one.

    Stanley Yelnats has a terrible life. He is not only overweight but also being threatened by the school’s bullies. After an unjust judgment, Stanley is forced to go to the horrendous boy’s detention center, Camp Green Lake, where boys suffer from strenuous physical labor. They are required to dig holes under harsh environment condition which Stanley struggles a lot, but not long after Stanley realizes that there are something the administrator of the camp is looking for. Stanley gradually discovers the dark intention hidden behind the establishment of the Camp Green Lake…

-Spoilers Alert!-

    This book is one of the most well-known children’s books on GoodReads. After reading this book, I do have to confide that I have mixed feelings about it.

    Stanley, an overweight and bullied kid, is obviously not a typical or strong protagonist. He has a tragic life even from the beginning of the book. Stanley’s family is under a weird curse which starts from his great-grandfather. He is sent to the Camp Green Lake as punishment because he steals a pair of shoes, but the truth is that he has done nothing wrong. Stanley continues to be tortured during his time in the camp where there is a great amount of physical labor and horrible living condition. However, the thing that makes Stanley different is his tendency of always being positive and hopeful. He never loses his hope neither when the teacher and other students mock at him about his shape nor when he is bullied many times by other schoolmates. This characteristic lingers even after Stanley goes to the Camp Green Lake. He struggles a lot on digging the first hole and struggles even more on digging the second ones, but he never feels desperate and gives up. Under Stanley’s ordinary figure, I can see his determined heart and spirit.

This is the cover of my copy,
I think it's much better than
that one.

    Stanley and Zero’s friendship are also one essential part of the story. Zero first appears in the story as one of the most unappealing children in the camp. When Stanley and Zero make an agreement that Zero helps Stanley digs holes while Stanley teaches him letters, their bond starts to build up. This friendship is what keeps both of them alive after they flee away from the camp. It’s heart-warming to see the unlikely-to-bond duo being formed between these two characters under such a harsh environment.

    Even the target readers of Holes are meant to be young children, there are still some heavy issues within the story. The most apparent one is about racism. The tragedy happened many years ago in the exact same place of the Camp Green Lake, Sam and Kate’s love was destroyed and Sam was killed by other people in the village simply because the two lovers had different skin colors. The death of Sam foreshadows Kate’s mad behavior several years later as well as all the incidents happened in the Camp Green Lake. Racism is always a heavy and debatable topic. By presenting this issue in children’s book is a brilliant idea because it can start teaching children about the importance of racial equality while they are at a younger age.

    Onions are another interesting things that I want to talk about. To be honest, I really would like to have a try of the amazing-and-almost-fifty-years-old onion juice and see what it tastes like. These onions were produced by Sam long time ago. They save the lives of Stanley and Zero. Onions indicate the hope for the future and all the other positive things. Unfortunately, I am not a huge fan of onions.

    If I can have the opportunity to change one part of the book then it must be the ending. I think the original ending is too dramatic and unrealistic. Although I understand that the author must make a happy ending due to the fact that this is a children’s book and the ending must satisfy children. But I believe if the ending is more realistic, it will leave more impact at least on me. Since Stanley has changed this much during his life in the Camp Green Lake, he is supposed to change his own life with his own effort. If the author shows us how Stanley changes his own life without using the money he gets, that will be more meaningful. Even though the ending is less satisfying, I still highly recommend this book to everyone who is found of well-crafted and meaningful children’s novel.