Holes by Louis Sachar (Mini-Audio Review) ~ BookishRealm

Series: Holes, #1
# of Pages: 233
Publication: September 2nd, 2000
Genre: Middle Grade Realistic Fiction
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After a devastating breakup in the middle of her summer vacation, Summer Peters knows she needs something to distract her. What better than the arrival of fall, Halloween, and a new client? Though she assumes that Alexander Williams will be a hands-off client, she is surprised to find him very down-to-earth. She’s immediately drawn to him, much to the dismay of his overprotective assistant. When it becomes obvious that he feels the same, she begins to wonder if their meeting was meant to be. Just when she thinks she could be ready to move on with her life, her ex-boyfriend Jake returns for a second chance. She’s in for even more of a surprise when she learns her nosy, meddling neighbor is actually a psychic pushing to reveal details of her future. Summer doesn’t know which way to turn as she feels like she’s being pulled in different directions. Between Alexander, his assistant, and her ex-boyfriend, she fears she may not be ready to move on after all. She considers turning to her neighbor for advice but the fear of knowing exactly what the future holds is more frightening than not knowing.

This isn't the first time that I've read Holes. I've had a fascination with the book since I was younger and I absolutely loved the movie so when I was looking for another audiobook to check out this definitely became an instant choice. Holes is a story of unfortunate coincidences, friendship, perseverance, and the importance of keeping your word. After being wrongly accused of stealing a pair of shoes belonging to a famous baseball player, Stanley Yelnats III ends up at a camp used to "reform" young troubled boys. What he finds is a camp led by a neurotic woman obsessed with finding long lost treasure hidden in the now barren lake. To make the boys "build character" the camp director has them dig holes every day. Through his interactions with the other campers, Stanley learns more about himself and his family.

"It was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!"

The most fascinating part of this book was definitely the relationships between the characters. Stanley was bullied and somewhat isolated prior to going to the camp; however, in getting to know the other boys at the camp he learns how to stand up for himself and how to build friendships. One of my favorite parts of the development of his character was watching how he becomes friends with Hector AKA Zero. The friendship is a slow burn, but it is one where they truly grow to appreciate each other and the history that their families share. Speaking of history, the history of the town and Stanley and Hector's families is so seamlessly woven into to the story that I genuinely believe that it wouldn't be the same without those narratives. In general, the book is well written and filled with so much fun and adventure that I think anyone can enjoy it. Surprisingly it was fun to note that the movie actually stayed relatively close to the original text.

"You're responsible for yourself. You messed up your life, and it's up to you to fix it. No one else is going do it for you--any of you."

Overall I really enjoyed the novel. However, the narration was not that great. I didn't enjoy the author's voice at all. He didn't do a good job with the voices and I found it particularly hard to follow along with him. I think that if anyone wants to read this book I would recommend reading this book physically if possible.