Ready for a haunting and suspenseful psychological thriller exploring the depths of the human psyche? Then, you will love May’s SOS Book Club pick, The Hole by Hye-young Pyun. Let’s dig in and find out why this reviewer was still thinking about this book weeks after finishing it!
- About the South of Seoul Virtual Book Club
- Book Recommendation by Melissa Edwards-Whittington
- About The Author of The Hole
- My Experience Reading The Hole
- Reasons to Read The Hole
- More Commentary and Reviews on The Hole
- Online Purchasing Link
- Find More Book Club Recommendations
- South of Seoul Book Club List for 2023
About the South of Seoul Virtual Book Club
Looking for book recommendations? Welcome to the South of Seoul book club. We recommend a book every month. Such recommended books explore topics like 1) South Korean history or culture, 2) the complexity of cross-cultural life, 4) the exploration of life within the diaspora experience, and 5) lenses on Korean culture around the world.
Commitment to Accessibility
South of Seoul volunteers take book accessibility into consideration when recommending titles. We consider:
- Purchasable in English In Korea: Many translated titles can’t actually be purchased in English in Korea,
- Audio Version Available: Many people find audiobooks easier to consume.
- Online Versions.: International residents can’t afford to travel with many books. Also, many books may not be available in digital form from within Korea.
Commitment to Diverse Lived Experiences
South of Seoul volunteers seek to put lived experiences at the forefront of their recommendation choices. When considering authors we look for such things as:
- Korean authors writing about their lived experiences in Korea.
- International residents writing about their lived experiences in South Korea.
- Ethnic Koreans writing about their lived experience in other countries.
Reading about Korean culture from a variety of perspectives may provide readers with a greater understanding of the country and culture.
Commitment to Supporting Mental Health
South of Seoul also includes book recommendations that support the lives and mental health of our community. This means that books may tackle the issues related to living between cultures. This may include topics such as culture shock, language, relationships, and more.
Book Recommendation by Melissa Edwards-Whittington
May’s South of Seoul Book Club recommendation, The Hole, is brought to you by Melissa Edwards-Whittington of the KimchiRednecks. Edwards-Whittington has lived in Korea since 2017. She and her husband, Chuck, formed the KimchiRednecks YouTube channel to give people living outside of Korea or those coming to Korea, a glimpse of life here in Korea. Together with their three shih tzus, they post weekly videos about places to eat, things to cook, places to visit, or life in general living in Korea.
About The Author of The Hole
Hye-young Pyun, author of The Hole, is a South Korean born in Seoul in 1972. After completing her BA in creative writing and MA in Korean literature from Hanyang University, she wrote while continuing to work at a magazine publisher. She has received numerous awards for her works, including the Dong-in Literary Award in 2011, the Yi Sang Literary Award in 2014, the Hyundae Munhak Award in 2015, and the Shirley Jackson Award in 2017 (for The Hole). In addition to her writing, she is a professor of creative writing at Myongji University in Seoul.
Pyun’s works are known for their psychological depth, exploring themes such as trauma, memory, and the human psyche. For more about the author, check the interview “Witness to Solitude: Novelist Pyun Hye-Young.” In addition to The Hole, the author has two other books available on Amazon that have been translated into English, City of Ash and Red and The Law of Lines. There is also a novel due to release in October of this year, The Owl Cries: A Novel (which will also be available in English).
My Experience Reading The Hole
The first thing I should share with you about my reading preferences is that I love to connect with characters when I read. I particularly enjoy when an author is able to make me care about characters that I normally would feel have no common ground. As such, I felt that author Hye-young Pyun did a masterful job of pulling me into her novel and making her characters real for me. One of my favorite genres to read is mysteries/psychological thrillers. So, The Hole piqued my interest when I saw it on the SOS Book Club list for 2023.
In The Hole, we follow a man’s descent into madness after a tragic accident leaves him confined to his home with only his mother-in-law to care for him. As we witness the unraveling of Oghi’s psyche and the secrets from his life, marriage, and accident. We go through a rollercoaster of emotions. Oghi is left paralyzed after a tragic accident that kills his wife. With no other family, his mother-in-law becomes his caretaker. As our protagonist is processing his reality and what has brought him to this situation, we learn more about his life, his wife, and family bringing new twists and turns to the novel.
I was fascinated with the characters in this book and the deep dive into the themes of guilt and grief. As Oghi looks back over his life and what led up to his current circumstances, we see the holes in the lives of the characters. We see emptiness, loneliness, neglect, and isolation. Weeks after reading this book, I still find myself thinking back to different parts of the story.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this so much that I have ordered her other books to read as well. I look forward to reading more of her fiction and delving into the depths of the psyches of her characters!
Reasons to Read The Hole
First and foremost, if you love masterful writing that draws you into the story from the very beginning and holds your attention until the very end, The Hole is a book to add to your list. The writing is both beautiful and haunting. It creates an eerie atmosphere leaving you on the edge of your seat.
Since the novel also deals with themes deeply personal, it is easy to read and relatable. Delving into the complexities of relationships, it also explores just how far one might go in order to protect themselves and their loved ones. Also, the author does a fabulous job exploring the themes of guilt, grief, and being human.
Lastly, The Hole is a subtle thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. With twists and turns that leave you breathless, the protagonist’s descent into madness is both fascinating and terrifying. This book may leave you pondering it long after you have finished it.
More Commentary and Reviews on The Hole
The above review contains my thoughts and opinions. Make sure to read other reviews to have a more rounded perspective toward the book. We all come to each story with our own social/cultural lens. Therefore, others may have perceived this book in a different manner and may help you decide if this is the book for you.
- Hye-Young Pyun’s The Hole (2017) – Trapped in Ones Mind (The Forgotten Fiction)
- Pervading sense of passivity dominates ‘The Hole’ (The Korea Herald)
Online Purchasing Link
You can purchase The Hole by Hye-young Pyun in English on Amazon.
Find More Book Club Recommendations
Did you like this recommendation? Be sure to explore our other volunteer-recommended books.
South of Seoul Book Club List for 2023
SOS Book Club Pick: The Surrendered
July’s Book Club Pick, “The Surrendered,” is a powerful, evocative tale of how love and war can profoundly transform people’s lives. This novel delves into the lives of three complex characters whose lives are intertwined by the turmoil of the Korean War and its aftermath. So, let’s dig into this novel. About The South Of…
SOS Book Club Pick: Tastes Like War
June’s Book Club Pick, “Tastes Like War,” is a memoir written by Grace Cho exploring the intersections of food, family, and the Korean American experience, delving into the author’s relationship with her mother and their shared journey through mental illness and cultural identity. Let’s dig into this memoir. About The South Of Seoul Book Club…
SOS Book Club Pick: Nuclear Family
Welcome, book lovers and South of Seoul community! This month, our book club dives into “Nuclear Family” by Joseph Han. It’s a novel that explores the life of a Korean American family caught in the throes of personal and political turmoil. Han’s unique narrative style blends realism with a touch of the surreal, making “Nuclear…
SOS Book Club Pick: “Almond: A Novel”
April’s Book Club Pick, “Almond: A Novel,” is a coming of age story about Yunjae, a young boy with Alexithymia, who struggles to feel pain, anger, and empathy. Hugely popular among BTS fans, as RM, J-Hope, and Suga read it in 2020 in their reality show “BTS In the Soop.” So, let’s dig into this…
SOS Book Club Pick: Greek Lessons
March’s Book Club pick is “Greek Lessons.” The story follows a young woman and her professor of Ancient Greek, both of whom are alienated from the people around them due to limitations with their physical bodies. As the two become more connected, they share the pain and solace that they experience. About the South of…
SOS Book Club Pick: Can’t I Go Instead
Follow the lives of a mistress and servant during the Japanese occupation of Korea in “Can’t I Go Instead.” Lee Geum-yi explores the complex relationship between the women, examining the extent to which loyalty and deception can be used to survive. About the South of Seoul Book Club If you are familiar with the series,…
The KimchiRednecks channel was created in September 2018 by Chuck Whittington and Melissa Edwards-Whittington. They moved to Korea in July 2017 with their three Shih Tzu daughters, Sookie, Minion, and Mayhem.
The YouTube channel started as a way to share their lives here with their friends and families back in the states. They both have a deep love for Korean culture, people, and food and love being able to share that with others.
Chuck Whittington graduated from Francis Marion University with a Bachelors in Information Systems Management. He has worked in Information Technology roles for over 20 years. Chuck has always had an interest in Korea and has traveled here many times in the past.
Melissa Edwards-Whittington graduated from Mid-Atlantic Christian University with a Bachelors in Bible and a Minor in Elementary Education. She has worked in various roles in customer service and marketing over the years.
The YouTube channel has many interests just like they do because it is an extension of their lives here in Korea. You will often find videos on their channel about daily life in Korea, cooking, foodie adventures, traveling and exploring, computer and tech pursuits, gaming, and working on the Subaru BRZ.
Over the years, many of their friends have joined them for their videos and adventures because they enjoy sharing their lives with those around them. In addition, they add new interests from time to time, like making moonshine in Korea.
Life is about growing and changing, and the longer the KimchiRednecks live in Korea, the more they learn to love this country and culture and all it has to offer.
