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Steve-Calvert.co.uk
A Passion For Horror
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By
Mary SanGiovanni The Hollower was Mary SanGiovanni's first novel and it is truly excellent. The story is about a shape-shifting entity called the Hollower and when it is not hiding behind a stolen face the Hollower is a rather scary sight. It wears a big black coat and hat and a pair of black gloves that only indicate the presence of hands because between where the coat sleeves end and the gloves begin there is nothing but fresh air. Perhaps the most frightening thing about the Hollower, however, is what lies beneath the brim of its big black hat. Face would not be the right word because a face has features and the Hollower's not-face has none. No eyes, no nose and no mouth; just an expanse of white that makes it resemble an egg with a hat on.
The first character introduced to the reader is a man named Max and he is one of the few people who can see the Hollower, which means that the Hollower can also see him and that means trouble. Max's troubles are nearly over though because he has had enough. He is not strong enough to fight the Hollower and so by the end of the prologue he has taken the easy, if somewhat messy, way out and used a shotgun to redecorate the walls of his office with blood and brains.
Two more characters are introduced in chapter one, a boy named Sean and a man named Erik. Sean is just a regular kid who suddenly begins seeing some very irregular things in and around his home. Erik on the other hand has probably had more experience of seeing strange things because he used to have a drug habit, but that was quite some time ago. The lad has cleaned up his act and settled down with the very lovely Casey. With the cold turkey far behind him and a hot bird to share his bed there should be no looking back for Erik. The only problem is that sometimes when he does look back, over his shoulder or out of the window, he sees the Hollower watching him and hears its voice in his head, taunting him and working on his fears. This is not only placing a strain on his nerves it is placing a strain on his relationship with Casey as well.
The central character in the story is a bachelor named Dave Kohlar and he makes his entrance in the second chapter of the book. Dave is a journalist and, like Sean and Keith, he is haunted by something nasty in a big black coat and hat. The second chapter also introduces Dave's sister, Sally, and the local barmaid, Cheryl, who is quite a looker. She is also romantically unencumbered and Dave might just stand a chance with her if he can ever stop just looking and find the guts to ask the girl out. Sally and Cheryl are also on the Hollower's hit-list, but it is not until much later in the book that all of the people on that list realize that they are all in the same boat, join forces, and face the monster together.
I
very much enjoyed reading this book. The
characters are easy to like and I was rooting for them all the way. I
wanted things to turn out okay for Keith and Casey and I felt like
giving Dave a boot up the bum and saying, "Well go on then! Ask her out
already." I also liked the monster. The Holower is an unusual entity,
but I suppose in some ways it is a vampire of sorts, only it feeds on
fear instead of blood and has a lot more tricks up those sleeves that
have no arms in them than your average bloodsucker does. The Hollower
can, for instance, drag its victims into alternate realities, which is
handy for the Hollower, but bad news for its victims. The
Hollower
is 308 pages long and the story is very well written
and should send a few shivers down the spine of most readers.
I can highly recommend this book to any horror fan. |
