The Holey Land by Laura KoerberMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I found this story to be both very interesting but at the same time quite perplexing. It weaves supernatural animal characters, like Nate and Al, with the very human Molly and Horst. Perhaps because I am British and unaware of the culture and superstitions of the various Native American tribes, it took me quite a while to accept what was actually going on. Incidents and personalities, past and present, seem to mix and interact. Once I got used to that I began to allow my curiosity to wonder what was happening with the main protagonist’s life. This was Molly, of course, and so I started to attempt to understand her mid-life crisis.
She was seemingly ready for changes and new experiences and realises how tired of her suburban life she has become. The setting for this new experience is a small old mining town in the southwest of Mexico. The three magical animal characters are full of resentment about what happened there due to prospecting and mining in the distant past. The author’s skill at description of both landscape and people’s emotions and inner doubts is to be admired once more. There is subtle humour and incisive introspection almost on every page – so clever! That is what really kept my attention throughout the book, even though I was still totally bemused at the end. But a remaining question: why add a letter 'E' in the title but not anywhere else in the text? Even so - This was a recommended read from Laura Koerber once more.
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