The Hole presents itself as a horror thriller, with comparisons to Stephen King and Shirley Jackson, but its main strength is as a psychological portrait of a man paralyzed in an accident. The accident killed his wife, and his mother-in-law serves as his caregiver... with questionable intentions. He sometimes feels hopeful about his recovery, sometimes despairing, and he re-evaluates his life choices.
The action and escalating dread are well handled but lack richness. Only the protagonist Oghi gets a name, with other characters being "his wife," "his mother-in-law," "the doctor," and his work colleagues M, S, K, and J. Oghi's life is similarly sketchy:
He'd taken an interest in other work outside of his department that was worth adding to his resume... He put together a research team with funding from a foundation, was on several academic committees... Books he'd published were being selected as recommended reads by different organizations...
I would be much more involved in the story if Pyun had just provided adjectives between "a" and "research team" and "foundation," or named one of the committees or books.
A major thematic element of the story is Oghi's evolving understanding of his wife and their marriage. However, their relationship seems strained from the start.
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