Krystal Sutherland's 'House of Hollow' follows the mysterious disappearance and return of the three Hollow sisters, Iris, Grey, and Vivi, with no memory of their time away. As the eldest sister, Grey, vanishes once again, Iris is determined to uncover the truth behind their past and present. The story is a blend of horror, modern fairy tale, and magical realism, creating an eerie and chilling atmosphere that captivates readers with its dark aesthetic and intricate imagery. The plot unfolds with twists and turns, keeping readers guessing and engaged until the very end.
The writing style in 'House of Hollow' is described as beautiful, atmospheric, and vivid, with botanical imagery that immerses readers in the story's dark and mysterious world. The narrative is fast-paced, with a tone that is both contemporary and fairytale-like, exploring themes of sisterhood, magic, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. Sutherland's masterful storytelling and captivating descriptions create a haunting and macabre mood that lingers long after the final page is turned.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include themes of abduction, trauma, body horror, and death, making content warnings pertinent for sensitive readers.
From The Publisher:
A New York Times Bestseller! An Instant Indie Bestseller! A dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things really do go bump in the night. Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children only to return a month a later with no memory of what happened to them, odd, eerie occurrences seem to follow in their wake. And they're changing. First, their dark hair turned white. Then, their blue eyes slowly turned black. They have insatiable appetites yet never gain weight. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful, and inexplicably dangerous. But now, ten years later, seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow is doing all she can to fit in and graduate high school on time-something her two famously glamourous globe-trotting older sisters, Grey and Vivi, never managed to do. But when Grey goes missing without a trace, leaving behind bizarre clues as to what might have happened, Iris and Vivi are left to trace her last few days. They aren't the only ones looking for her though. As they brush against the supernatural they realize that the story they've been told about their past is unraveling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed ten years ago, might just be calling them home.
Ratings (48)
Incredible (18) | |
Loved It (16) | |
Liked It (10) | |
It Was OK (2) | |
Did Not Like (1) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (139):
Read It (48) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (81) | |
Not Interested (8) |
2 comment(s)
I read this because I saw a review for it. The review said the person doesn't normally read YA but couldn't put this one down. I agree, I could tell it was YA, but not in a bad way. I enjoyed the story of the sisters and their mysterious disappearance, and their stranger yet reappearance.
Updated review, July 9, 2024:
I think I misunderstood
House of Hollow the first time I read it. Even when I was in the middle of reading the book this time, I was considering moving it to my “comfort reads” shelf, effectively writing it off as well-written but ultimately shallow.
Contrary to what I remembered,
House of Hollow comments on the themes of violence against women and female presenting individuals, and acceptance of change and death. Iris frequently is harassed, objectified, and sexualized; moreover, a continuing motif of the book is the unsolved, almost unnoticed disappearances of girls and young women. It’s also possible to interpret the book not as a story literally about
Grey killing a fellow set of three sisters and wearing their skins
, but instead as a story about the seemingly drastic changes people go through as humans. Gabe’s paranoia and eventual
revenge plot
can be read as a resistance to change. Gabe refused to accept his daughters after their glaring changes in personalities and appearances (
which honestly could have happened anyway had his original daughters returned from the other place—honestly one of the reasons the character Agnes exists to demonstrate
), preventing him from appreciating that his daughters returned
in the first place.
What surprised me the most this time around is Grey as a character. Although I understand Grey’s actions, and I can come up with a justification of sorts for her actions (
the pre-Grey, Vivi, and Iris sisters could very well have been murdered as well
), Grey is still just a girl boss. Grey’s beautiful and meticulous art doesn’t disguise the fact that she’s underlyingly an entrepreneur. She leans into the dog-eat-dog world of capitalism as she’s willing to
kill other girls in exchange for her own (and her sisters’ own) place in the world
. Grey isn’t the liberating, intersectional feminist that we want her to be, just as girl boss feminism ultimately serves the patriarchal, white supremacist status quo.
In summary,
House of Hollow is a creepy, exciting book with a nuanced look at feminism.
Original review, April 17, 2023:
Okay,
House of Hollow is awesome though I’m not sure it can enter the hallowed realm that is my favorites shelf, mainly because I’m torn about the implications of the ending.
I mean, what Grey (and her sisters?) did should make the reader extremely unsympathetic toward them. Should the readers be rooting for Iris and her sisters?
Idk, it was creepy and I liked it.
What can you read after
House of Hollow?
About the Author:
Krystal Sutherland's first novel, Our Chemical Hearts, was published in over twenty countries and made the American Booksellers Association's Indie Next List in 2016. The film adaptation, Chemical Hearts (2020), was produced by Amazon Studios and stars Lili Reinhart ( Riverdale) and Austin Abrams ( Dash & Lily). Sutherland served as an executive producer on the project. Her second novel, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares, was published in 2017 and has been optioned for adaptation by Yellow Bird. Originally from Australia, she has lived on four continents and currently calls London home.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
