Hollow: A Novel

Hollow is one of those rare novels that has two very different narrative threads that weave together into a very satisfying whole. Each of these threads alone would not have been as satisfying, one being too depressing and the other being too quirky. But together, they balance each other and create a fully realized portrait of the main character, Oliver, and the world that seems to both mock and inspire him.At one point, Oliver has a very well to-do life as a college professor, husband, and father to a newborn son. But in one night, a bad choice and an unfortunate life event completely destroys Oliver’s world. We learn all of this in Oliver’s backstory as he grapples with understanding how God, or life, deals him very, very bad hands. In the present, we find Oliver living in a shack on the southside of Austin, Texas, almost destitute. He befriends Lyle in a book shop, who quickly introduces him to the Hollow Earth Society of Central Texas and their idea that the Earth is hollow and something or someone lives down there. Lyle enters a contest to join an expedition to the North Pole with a hollow earth expert to find an entrance to the inner world. And with this, he and Oliver begin their something-like buddy trip to join this expedition to the North Pole, if they can conjure up the $20,000 needed to be a part of it.These are the two narrative threads that Owen Egerton weaves with aplomb. Alone, Oliver’s backstory would be too heartwrenching. And his friendship with Lyle is derivative of many well-known buddy stories in literature and movies. But together, these two threads weave a very satisfying literary tale of a man compelled to find meaning in a world that is both unrelenting with its maliciousness, but also beautiful with its acts of love. There is one violent turn late in the story that was off-putting and distracting from the story as a whole. Once I finished the novel, I realized that this violent turn was also unnecessary to the overall plot and without it, the story could have concluded in the same fashion. With this aside, the novel has a very satisfying ending, one in which Oliver’s friendship with his terminally ill friend, Martin, shows that acts of kindness and generosity are what make life worth living, even when the end is imminent.I highly recommend this novel for lovers of literary fiction. 4 and a half out of five stars.

I cannot imagine the grief a person would go through after losing a child. I imagine that Oliver's downward spiral is a pretty good estimation of real life. Especialy as he was also accused of killing the boy.I could see how a person would become obsessed with something as bizarre as a Hollow Earth theory. With nothing really to live for, why not look for somethimg that could give you the answers you so desperately want.I found myself wanting to know more about some of the other characters in this story, especially Lyle - How did ge get to be the way he is? What kind of life did he lead before he met Oliver? What drew him to believe in the Hollow Earth?And Martin. Poor Martin. A man being killed slowly by stupid cancer. I completely understand his desire to die on his own terms, not in a hospital but heading west in his beloved car.Oliver's question of why (not how, who cares about how) is one I can completely understand and empathize with. If I get to meet God, I might ask the same question. Why?I really enjoyed following Oliver through his journey. I ended the book hoping that he would find peace on his drive.

I loved this book. At times, though, I had to put it down. Several times, actually. I had to shut it and put it aside for a few minutes. Then it would call to me, and even though it had just made me cry, and had dug right inside my own heart and exposed some of my own demons to me, I had to go back, pick it back up, and start reading again.(You can read my complete review of Hollow on my my blog, which you can find on my author page:  Good Feeling: seven short stories )

Unlike everyone else, I wasn't wowed by this book. Painful subject. Interesting characters. Deep questions. That the main character, a well educated professor, would get sucked into the hollow earth belief due to his painful loss wasn't hard to believe. But the ending, a little too deus ex machina for me. Maybe it would be good as a springboard for a discussion group about the meaning of life and death, but it wasn't a satisfying read for me.

I'm sort of a conspiracy theory connoisseur, so when I found out that Hollow Earth theory was the basis for the novel I was already in. What didn't expect was a story about a guy whose life is slowly self destructing around him as he gets deeper into this conspiracy theory. I also thought he did a good job describing Austin, Texas and it was a nice change in scenery compared to the usual American venues like LA and New York. Definitely give this a read!

Read this book in two days! Hollow is a richly told story of what can happen when one of your worst nightmares comes to life...it’s incredible how relatable the main character felt to me as a reader.

This book was terrible!!! Jumped all over the place. The only reason i finished it was because Amazon screwed me on the purchase. Normally they let you review it before purchase. But not this time bank went right to purchase and I was out $12. So I told myself I was going to finish it. I did and it was a very hard read. This guy has no business writing books. And in top of it has nothing to do with the hollow earth theory. Very depressing read would not recommend.

There were multiple times during this book where I had to remind myself to breath. The author brought me into his character's head with such clarity that I couldn't help but feel like I was riding shotgun on Oliver's descent. This story will stick with you and is well worth the read.