My extended book review is on “Holes” by Louis Sachar published in 1998 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The book begins by introducing a boy named Stanley Yelnats III who lives in Texas with his mother, father, and grandpa. The family lives in a small apartment which is cluttered with his dads inventions to try and cure foot odor, Stanley's grandpa believes the dad will never solve the cure due to his “no-good, dirty-rotten, pig-stealing great-great-grandfather” which brought the family misfortune for generations. The story goes on to explain how the curse was placed on the family and is because of Elya Yelnats, Stanley's great-great-grandfather who promised to carry Madame Zeroni up a mountain in order to obtain a pig. Unfortunately he didn't keep his promise, leaving Madame Zeroni behind which caused her to curse the Yelnats family for multiple generations. Nonetheless, one day Stanley gets into trouble and is sent to Camp Green Lake for stealing a pair of shoes which is for a crime he did not commit and was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. As he arrives at camp which is ironically in the middle of nowhere with no lake near, the camp is also surrounded by five feet wide and deep holes stretching for miles. Stanley meets the Warden as well as the staff which the boys refer to as Mr.Sir and Mom and the next day he is then sent to dig a hole accompanied by the other boys at that camp in order to “build character”. After digging holes consistently everyday Stanley soon discovers that the Warden and staff members have their own hidden agenda and the point of digging is part of a larger search for buried treasure. As Stanley deals with the rough conditions of the camp he meets Hector Zeroni who goes by Zero, Zero is a quite troubled boy who is picked on by the kids as well as the staff. Eventually he and Stanley run off from camp where there is no food or water and begin to unravel the mysteries of the buried treasure which is tied to Stanley’s family curse. Throughout the boys' tough journey they not only overcome the injustices of the camp but their own struggles with their identity. The book takes on the theme of justice and injustice which is seen through Stanley's unfair trial which sends him to camp green lake.
Throughout the book the author combines humor as we see from the boys at camp as well as suspense that makes the book even more engaging. His language is straightforward while being complex which attracts young and older audiences as I read this book as a kid and still enjoy it while being in high school. He makes sure to add depth to the story as towards the end we see plot twists connecting present day Stanley with his family's past history. When it comes to believability of the characters they are accurately portrayed, Stanley is a relatable character going from a poor and unlucky family to breaking his family's curse and living a life he never expected. The supporting characters are also well developed as were given their backstory as to why they are the way they are such as the warden who has been looking for this treasure since she was a little girl with her grandpa, she continues to make it her mission to find this treasure as her grandpa never found it. This overall ties into the central message of the book and how it could be interpreted as fate and destiny as we follow Stanley and his family go through struggles. We may see fate as a cycle of misfortune, the book shows how fate can be challenged and in this case altered.
Holes can be evaluated in terms of its literary values as the author weaves between storylines such as Kissin’ Kate Barlow origin story, Stanley at camp, and his family's past. In addition, Sachar's usage of comic relief in serious moments such as when we think it's the end for Stanley and Zero make this book enjoyable and relatable to many readers. His dialogue is sharp, with the characters speaking in ways that reflect their backgrounds, for instance Zero, who is a shy boy that doesn't speak to anyone but Stanley who grew up in a group home with no parents. The intriguing ending as we see how the storylines connect to each other keeps the readers wanting to read and emphasizes the ability to engage them . As someone who read this book when I was 10 years old I enjoyed it, it makes sense how it can appeal to any age as they decided to make a movie out of the book which brings the plot and characters to life more.
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