The Hollow Places

341 pages

English language

Published Dec. 4, 2020

ISBN:: 978-1-5344-5112-4
Goodreads:: 50892288

A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel.

Pray they are hungry.

Kara finds these words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring the peculiar bunker—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more you fear them, the stronger they become.

1 edition

Milla H reviewed The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

Höpsö mutta jännentyvä kirja pahoista pajuista

3 stars

Päähenkilö Kara on avioeron jälkeen puilla paljailla, mutta pääsee onneksi asumaan vanhaan tuttuun paikkaan, setänsä erikoiseen museoon. Hän ystävystyy naapurin kahvilanpitäjän kanssa ja yhdessä he löytävät museon seinästä reiän, joka vie varsin outoon ja pelottavaan paikkaan.

Kirja alkoi vähän hupsusti ja mietin mikä kauhukirja tämmöinen on. Hieman löysääkin oli, kun esimerkiksi henkilöt kiistelivät sivun verran avaavatko oven vai eivät. Tunnelma kuitenkin tiivistyi varsinkin puolenvälin jälkeen ja kyllä siinä ihan karmivia osuuksia oli. Mukana kissa jolle ei kukaan ala ryppyilemään.

enne📚 reviewed The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

4 stars

The Hollow Places is a horror novel by T. Kingfisher. The premise is that newly divorced Kara goes back to live in her uncle's curio museum; when a mysterious hole in the wall appears and goes to what seems to be another dimension, she and her barista friend investigate. Overall, horror is not usually my cuppa but this was an enjoyable creepy ride (and I'll read anything by T. Kingfisher at this point).

But he groaned and stomped around the hall for a few minutes, then said, "Okay. But this is how people die in horror movies, you know."

"You're not the teensiest bit curious?

"I'm incredibly curious! I've just also seen horror movies!"

This book is intensely creepy at times, and the horror elements all the more unsettling for being fuzzy and unseen and unknowable. I wish a little that there was a …

The Hollow Places is a horror novel by T. Kingfisher. The premise is that newly divorced Kara goes back to live in her uncle's curio museum; when a mysterious hole in the wall appears and goes to what seems to be another dimension, she and her barista friend investigate. Overall, horror is not usually my cuppa but this was an enjoyable creepy ride (and I'll read anything by T. Kingfisher at this point).

But he groaned and stomped around the hall for a few minutes, then said, "Okay. But this is how people die in horror movies, you know."

"You're not the teensiest bit curious?

"I'm incredibly curious! I've just also seen horror movies!"

This book is intensely creepy at times, and the horror elements all the more unsettling for being fuzzy and unseen and unknowable. I wish a little that there was a little bit more character development or reveal (such as a more tight thematic coupling of Kara's backstory or marriage with the present events). However, I really enjoyed both the banter and also the centering of the museum as a welcoming and protective home rather than playing it just for creeps.

The author's note said that this was based on the 1907 short story The Willows, by Algernon Blackwood and I wish I had read that first so that I could understand some references that would have passed me by otherwise.