Holes

When I first re-read this in 2021, I was unimpressed. I latched onto a few potholes, got annoyed by the stilted writing style, and overall didn't enjoy the reading experience. I kept my old rating of 3 stars, because I still recognized the entertainment value from childhood.

Now, I'm back, and I'm here to raise the rating by one star. Crazy, right? But my best friend picked this book for a nostalgic co-reading together to kick off the new year. With a fun event attached and less of a reading funk, I was able to enjoy this book again. The writing style still annoyed me in the beginning, but I got used to it after a while and was drawn in by the characters and plot.

For a middle grade sort of book, this contains a surprising amount of heavy topics, but most are handled well and add significantly to the entertainment factor. (I can remember being a kid and being delighted that I could read something so ‘edgy,' though we didn't use that term back then and I can't really remember what word we did use.) When not skim reading or fighting against a bad mood, this time, it held my interest and kept me reading every chance I got.

This is a good book. It's written for kids, and that shows - especially with the absurdities in the plot - but it's fascinating all the same. I'm happy I gave it another chance as an adult and didn't let a crappy mindset forever turn this into a disappointing memory.