Feb 27, 2011: The first 2 parts of the novella are well written. They tell the same story from 2 different points of view; a British academic whose young son meets an unusual girl after school, and the young boy himself. There’s enough mysteries in the first part to make me curious what each of the other parts fill in.

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Sep 29, 2011: In brief, the "Hole in the Wall" is a story about two families. Oscar, his mother and father, and Treasure, her brother Jazz and her grandmother. Long ago Treasure’s gran lived in Oscar’s family’s house, and she hid a box of letters from her husband in a walled-up room before they were forced out for not having rent money.

Now, years later, Treasure is outside the house, drawing it for her sick grandmother, until Oscar becomes her friend. Eventually her brother [more . . .]

Feb 5, 2014: A good short read, cleverly told from 5 different perspectives but with a dark undertone to it, this reminded me in some respects of Ian McEwan’s "The Cement Garden."

I would have to respectfully disagree with the reviewer who found it hard to follow. Yes, it does require your concentration and you do find yourself re-reading bits to check you "got everything" – but for me, the spareness of the writing was a strength not a weakness. Anyway, it’s free, so [more . . .]