Customer Reviews

The Hollower

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Hollower is a virtual treatise on the nature of despair, a tight, tough, often nasty bit of work that focuses on a group of protagonists who, unfortunately, have come to the attention of a seemingly supernatural entity that one of their number refers to as the Hollower. This entity, which collects identities and voices which it uses against its victims, feeds on the doubt, confusion and insecurity it fosters in its carefully chosen targets.

The Hollower appears full blown within the first few pages of the story, shortly after pushing one of the people it's stalking to suicide. It's a dark, mysterious, faceless figure, dressed in a black trench coat, black suit and shoes, and a hat like "Humphrey Bogart's", presumably a fedora. The creature is currently torturing Erik, a recovering drug addict, one of several people in the same town that the dark man has focused his attention on. Erik later joins with the members of that group to confront the Hollower, leading to a climactic battle inside what has now become a haunted house.

Reflecting on the basic plot of this book, you'll likely find yourself thinking about horror movie icon Freddy Krueger, but, if you think about it a little more, you might see some similarities to Bram Stoker's Dracula, wherein a force of nature which threatens the populace is eventually put down by a band of stalwart individuals after a protracted game of cat and mouse between good and evil. That comparison proves apt, because it explains both the positives and negatives of this book. Getting the negative out of the way first, there's not much of a buildup here, as the Hollower is dropped into the action with no introduction--in other words, no equivalent of Harker's trip to the Castle, no visit from Dracula's brides, no ship pulling into London harbor sans living crew, very little besides one character's suicide (ironically, he turns out to be the Van Helsing of SanGiovanni's group) to create a sense of foreboding, or menace, or impending doom. This lack of buildup and insight into the creature becomes especially jolting deep into the book, when readers suddenly find themselves in the Hollower's head--either keep his thoughts out of the book all together, as Stoker did with his villain, or introduce them earlier, so we get a glimpse about what this gent is up to, and why he's stalking these folks.

That aside, once SanGiovanni drops you into her reality, she never relinquishes her iron grip on your attention--there are some interesting set pieces in the novel which even a more experienced writer would envy. The individual evolution of her characters, and their group dynamic as they evolve from victims to hunters is also convincingly rendered, as is their easy comradeship (here, the book stays true to its Dracula roots, but becomes more reminiscent of more modern novels--King's IT and Desperation spring readily to mind, as does Straub's Ghost Story). SanGiovanni brings her novel to a satisfying conclusion, but also closes with a note of uncertainty, however, clearly paving the way for sequels.

The weaknesses in San Giovanni's story can be attributed to the fact that is a debut novel, and that she is still learning her craft; weighing in at approximately 80,000 words, it could have certainly benefited from some back-story, but that's a minor point. It will be interesting to see what she comes up with in the future.

From the opening pages, Mary SanGiovanni, sets the tension bar high with a suicide followed by empty footsteps trailing out an open door. Her main characters are all broken people- a recovering coke-addict, a barmaid who was molested as a child, an alcoholic and his mentally unstable younger sister, an emotion-fearing cop, and a young boy whose father died early. The common ground between them is a "man" wearing a black fedora, trench coat and gloves that comes to expose their deepest fears. This man has no face, but instead a smooth, blank canvas where its features should be. All our characters are tormented by this creature who becomes known as the Hollower and pursue it back to its lair, the home of the novel's opening-scene suicide. Here, they are forced to fight through their vices and fears to bond together and vanquish their enemy.

SanGiovanni avoids the standard monster-from-another-world horror cliches and turns in a very impressive debut, taking her characters through intense challenges of willpower, resolve, and strength in order to actually fight for their survival rather than curling up and submitting to the terror against which they are faced. The writing is strong, the plot solid, and the characters sympathetic in a realistic rather than exaggerated manner.

Got this book a while ago and wish I'd read it sooner. I'd read a few of her short stories and was anxious to dive into her novel. Was a great debut novel from Mary SanGiovanni. I love her style of writing; her descriptive narrative is fresh, vivid, and intense. The characters are fleshed out nicely.

The story had sort of a Twilight Zone feel to it, which I enjoy very much. The ending reminded me of either a Clive Barker or Stephen King novel; not one in particular, but the action, the description, was (as Barker and King) extremely intense and visual.

My only gripe is that, though it had suspense and action throughout, it didn't really take off "full speed" until about halfway through the book. From there on, it was hard to put down.

SanGiovanni is a ripe talent in the writing world. Am so looking forward to reading more from here. Can't wait for her next book to come out!!

The Hollower is a monster novel that I wasn't expecting. After reading Brian Keene's introduction to the book, I expected nothing short of amazing. Mary SanGiovani crafts an amazing tale with her novel The Hollower. It all begins with the suicide of Max Feinstein, after a creature called `The Hollower' tortures him to death with its mind games. We soon learn that Mr. Feinstein wasn't the only man tortured by the hollower; there's several.

One of these men is Dave Kohlar, who has enough problems without having to deal with the Hollower. Another of these men is Erik, a drug user, and a woman who runs a bar, Cheryl, is also afflicted. Even a young boy is haunted by the Hollower. There seems to be no reason for the Hollower preying on these people, but all they know is that the Hollower lives to torture them.

The Hollower is a novel that I hadn't expected. Usually when I read a monster novel, I see lots of gore and violence. The Hollower is different, because it doesn't have to resort to the most primal things to make it scary. It's a novel that will remain amongst my favorites, and Mary SanGiovani is an author you need to check out.

Dave Kohlar and his sister Sally have a problem with a phantom. Dave believes only he can see it, and his sister is instead projecting his problems into her own deluded fantasies, but after the suicide of a friend of Sally's, Dave begins to learn how many other people have seen the strange man without a face. The other people who have come to know the chilling voice of the Hollower gather together in search of a way to kill something which seems ageless, and whose only desire is to feed on them through their fears.

Everyone looks to Dave for answers, and yet his own insecurities keep him trapped in his own pattern of second guessing himself. But then this is consistent for most everyone under the influence of the Hollower. It is they who generate their own pains and fears, and the Hollower amplifies their feelings. So this theme of uncertainty is a common trait that the group shares, and in many ways, it is what has defined them for their entire lives. Long before the Hollower arrived, the characters were already haunted people, and that's partly what makes the monster that much more effective.

The pace of the book is quick, and the balance between action and character development is good. I only felt minor disappointment for the low body count, but that's just me being a cynic. There's certainly no shortage of grisly visuals, and the descriptions of the Hollower's attacks are always vivid and brutal. The book is a good read, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new horror story with a wicked monster. From now on, Mary SanGiovanni can count me among her fans.

my first time reading this author and not the last time. the beginning was dragged out and by the middle of the book i was hooked. origional idea very stephen king with the twisted imagery. I really felt like i was there in the end. Was a good read, want to read the sequel.

In the introduction to Mary SanGiovanni's debut horror novel The Hollower, author Brian Keene poses the question to the reader: What is fear? Is it truly the gore-streaked movies that we flock to night after night, the shock-factor exposés of gruesome torture and brutal dissection which we have all but become numb to and abuse as idle amusement? Or does true fear quicken from the anticipation of what we cannot see or control, that liquid darkness spawned of our own subconscious that seeps into our lives, striking us when we are at our weakest and least suspecting? Could it be the kind of terror that can shatter the fragile human psyche leaving us far worse off than dead? Mary SanGiovanni would have you believe this to be true. However, I am not sure entirely if her novel expresses the depth of this more deviant and sinister nature of emotional and psychological fear.

Set in the sleepy little New Jersey town of Lakehaven, The Hollower follows the lives of six individuals (a reporter, the reporter's mentally unstable sister, a detective, a bartender, a recovering coke addict, and an eleven year-old kid) as they wage battle with a faceless, paranormal creature that taps into their deepest subconscious demons and uses them to create terrifying hallucinations to drive them, one by one, into madness and eventual death. In concept, this sounds like the making of a truly horrific and psychologically thrilling novel, but in reality the story fell a little short of dragging you across the threshold into the pitch-black darkness this creature was capable of.

The human psyche is the ultimate dungeon of twisted psychosis and in a novel about using that subconscious against a person the ability to make the reader cringe with the subtle understanding and fear of what is possible is crucial. Each time I felt myself being drawn into a new scene build, expecting to be scared or disturbed, the scene ended with an anticlimactic fizzle, as if SanGiovanni could take you to the hazy edge of insanity, but could not allow it to grab you by the throat and shake you till you squirmed. While SanGiovanni attempted to tap into the inner demons of her characters, too little in-depth character background development was done for the read to really sink their teeth into them and form a solid understanding of how dark and unstable these individuals are. At times, I found myself wondering, out of all of the people in Lakehaven, why did The Hollower choose these people since their demons did not seem anymore sinister than the demons of most people, perhaps even less?

However, the breakneck pace of the book kept me from focusing too much on those details. While I am one of those readers who usually has to make a connection to the characters in a book for it to hold my attention span for more than a few chapters, the The Hollower launched so quickly into the action that the lack of character development became more of a minor personal irritation, than a true flaw. In fact, the novel has the feel of being written specifically with the purpose of being adapted to a screenplay later on. Because of this, the story, at times, feels a bit predictable with cliché settings and dialogue typical of most mainstream horror movies. The bar, the lakeside town, the sleepy little suburban neighborhood; the setting felt cozy and comfortable, something I've seen or read many times before. The Hollower also felt rushed due to this movie script momentum and left me wondering if there were crucial parts of the story which had been left out for the sake of pace. It scrambles quickly towards a confusingly psychedelic ending that, unfortunately, does not deliver the earth-shaking blow I know it was meant to deal the reader. I feel that this anticlimactic ending is in part due to the lack of substantial build-up and suspenseful tension in the preceding chapters. It's almost as if I were watching the TV version of a feature movie where important scenes, that might make it Oscar-worthy, were deleted in order to make it fit into a primetime slot.

With all of the above commentary said, while I found quite a bit of fault with The Hollower for its tame growl about the nature of fear and hasty development, I did actually enjoy reading it. It's a light read, a good book to relax on the weekend with or take on an airplane with you. Mary SanGiovanni has the beginnings of a solid literary voice and a quick pace, which keeps you moving nonstop through the story. I'll be interested to see what her next novel consists of and I get the sense that there is a sequel in the works. The Hollower is not going scare you senseless, though, if you're looking for that kind of novel. It won't make you curl up in your chair, unable to put your feet on the ground for fear of what lurks beneath, or leave you sleeping with the lights on. It will, however, quite possibly, cause you to sit back and wonder just what your personal fear is and what demons might be lurking in your subconscious that, if brought to light, could destroy you.

Mary SanGiovanni's debut novel was a real treat to read. Technically well written and written more skillfully than many other debut novels in this regard. The story flows well and was a realtively fast read. Critics may be quick to point out that at the surface the characters are not developed well-enough or that there is little back story. For readers who want dropped right into the action this is the kind of novel for you. I do believe Sangiovanni gave adequete backstory and enough qualities to make these characters "real" and people I care about. Critics will also make the claim that the body count is too low, but horror is more than blood and gore, and this book does have its share. The opening scene is superb in its description of all five senses. The plot runs like a roller coaster, slowly building...building...building until finally sending readers on a thrill ride that ends with satisfaction. This books didn't "scare" me, but horror fiction really doesn't. I did sense the character's fear though and the feeling of impending dread. What impressed me most was how often Sangiovanni was able to "get me." Everytime I thought I knew who/where the Hollower was, it turned out I was wrong. Her ability to build suspense and mystery is uncanny.

Great debut from this first-time novelist. SanGiovanni takes the standard monster story and turns it on its ear. There are some genuine chills and believable characterization. Very hard to put down.

Let me be honest with you.

It wasn't until a couple of months ago I head or Mary SanGiovanni by word-of-mouth by Brian Keene who had made mention of her.

I'm a harsh reader when it comes to debuts. I always feel like if it's going to let me down, it will right away.

I was wrong in this case.

SanGiovanni kept me hanging on from page one.

This was a quick-building, non-stop thrill ride, packed with all the knock-out punches a horror novel is supposed to have.

Original. Creepy. Wonderfully told story. Those are all words I would use to describe this incredible debut.

I'm a fan for life!

Author of In the Wake of the Night, Phil's Place, Darkness Won't Rest: Phils Place II and Snow Hill (June 2008).