Holes by Louis Sachar
I both read Holes by Louis Sachar as a kid and then saw it after it became a movie in 2003. Both the book and the movie have stuck with me after all this time (though, I'm only going to focus on the novel from here on out).
Stanley Yelnats IV is dreadfully unlucky. But, hey, at least it runs in the family. Everyone in the Yelnats family always jokingly blames Stanley's "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather" who made a deal with a fortune teller, Madame Zeroni, to help him nurture a pig large enough to win the hand of his beloved back in Latvia. However, this great-great-grandfather of Stanley's did not fulfill his end of the deal with Madame Zeroni before moving to the US.
But Stanley's latest bit of bad luck seems uniquely terrible. He was wrongfully convicted of stealing a pair of shoes that baseball player Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston had donated to a charity auction to benefit the homeless, and now finds himself at Camp Green Lake. Stanley quickly realizes that the camp's name is a misnomer. There are no lakes, green or otherwise. Camp Green Lake is, in fact, in the middle of a desert.
All of the kids at Camp Green Lake are forced to build character by digging a hole five feet wide and five feet deep every day. What they're digging for is unclear, but Stanley is seemingly rewarded for finding a lipstick tube with "KB" engraved on it. As the days pass, Stanley forms a friendship with fellow juvenile delinquent, Zero, by teaching Zero how to read in exchange for Zero helping Stanley dig his daily hole.
One day, after one of the counselors is particularly cruel to Zero, Zero hits the counselor in the face with his shovel and makes a break for it. After the initial joy of seeing Zero escape fades, Stanley realizes that Zero is likely in real trouble out in the desert. And so, Stanley goes after Zero to help him. Stanley finds Zero, who is miraculously just fine. But as the two make their way back to camp, Stanley has to carry Zero and later give him water as he sings his family's lullaby to soothe Zero.
Zero and Stanley make it back to Camp Green Lake and decide to dig around where Stanley found the lipstick tube since it had garnered so much attention. They uncover a suitcase, but end up being covered by venomous lizards, and then are themselves uncovered by the camp's staff. The lizards keep the staff from taking the suitcase until the next day dawns. With the new day, Stanley's lawyer arrives to share that Stanley's conviction has been overturned. The Warden of Camp Green Lake claims that the suitcase Stanley is holding was stolen from her, but the suitcase has "Stanley Yelnats" written on it (which Zero proudly reads aloud). Stanley's attorney quickly realizes that the camp is corrupt and, after spiriting Stanley and Zero away from it, is able to get it shut down.
Ultimately, it's figured out that Zero (whose real name is Hector) is Madame Zeroni's great-great-great-grandson, and in caring for Zero, Stanley has undone his family's curse.
Strung throughout the book is an additional storyline focusing on Kissin' Kate Barlow. In 1888, Katherine Barlow, a local schoolteacher, falls in love with Sam, an African-American farmer. After their romance is discovered by the racist town, Sam is ultimately killed. Three days after Sam's murder, Katherine shoots and kills his murderer. She then becomes an outlaw known as "Kissin' Kate Barlow", as she leaves a red lipstick kiss on the cheeks of the men she kills. As you may have guessed, the "KB" lipstick tube was Katherine Barlow's.
While I won't reveal all of the secrets of how Sachar wove all of these well-paced, tragic, and magical stories together, I will say that he did so brilliantly. While I definitely have a tween's memory of this book, I do remember the clues for how everything tied together to be well-placed without hitting you over the head with anything.
Holes remains one of my favorite novels that I read when I was younger and I hope future generations can still find it and benefit from its many charms.
Comments
Post a Comment