Mention the name, Tom Holland, to the average schmo and they will think of Spider-Man. Horror lovers, however, revere him as the writer-director of the beloved classic, Fright Night. Holland also directed the first Child's Play's, which turned into a long-lived franchise. More knowledgeable fans may bring up Tom Holland's screenplay for the excellent Psycho 2. A deeper look into his filmography will reveal that he wrote the astonishing The Beast Within.
So when I learned that Tom Holland had written a novel, I was interested. These things, however, can be dicey. Holland has proven his ability to write for the screen, but prose fiction is another animal altogether. Guillermo del Toro has been savvy enough to employ co-writers, and who knows how George Romero's The Living Dead would have ended up without the participation of seasoned novelist Daniel Kraus.
Sadly, Tom Holland's The Notch is a disappointment. The plot itself is intriguing, but it is poorly executed. The writing is often clumsy, there are endless repetitions, the characters are thin, and there are many cringe-inducing moments.
There is a good story in The Notch, but the manuscript badly needed a complete editorial overhaul. It reads, in fact, like a treatment for a movie. Or a rough draft.
I did continue to read, which is something. My time is so limited these days, and if I am not enjoying a book, I usually throw in the towel. Holland uses brief chapters, and it's easy enough to continue to read. The story is engaging enough that I wanted to know how it ended up. In the end I may as well have given up.
The Notch deals in part with a global pandemic, and it was obviously written before the onslaught of Covid-19. That alone makes it compelling. The rest of the story concerns yet another child with psychic ability.
With a thorough edit The Notch could have been a timely allegorical modern classic, like Chuck Wendig's Wanderers. As it is I am still smarting from investing so much time into a frustrating reading experience.
Written by Mark Sieber
So when I learned that Tom Holland had written a novel, I was interested. These things, however, can be dicey. Holland has proven his ability to write for the screen, but prose fiction is another animal altogether. Guillermo del Toro has been savvy enough to employ co-writers, and who knows how George Romero's The Living Dead would have ended up without the participation of seasoned novelist Daniel Kraus.
Sadly, Tom Holland's The Notch is a disappointment. The plot itself is intriguing, but it is poorly executed. The writing is often clumsy, there are endless repetitions, the characters are thin, and there are many cringe-inducing moments.
There is a good story in The Notch, but the manuscript badly needed a complete editorial overhaul. It reads, in fact, like a treatment for a movie. Or a rough draft.
I did continue to read, which is something. My time is so limited these days, and if I am not enjoying a book, I usually throw in the towel. Holland uses brief chapters, and it's easy enough to continue to read. The story is engaging enough that I wanted to know how it ended up. In the end I may as well have given up.
The Notch deals in part with a global pandemic, and it was obviously written before the onslaught of Covid-19. That alone makes it compelling. The rest of the story concerns yet another child with psychic ability.
With a thorough edit The Notch could have been a timely allegorical modern classic, like Chuck Wendig's Wanderers. As it is I am still smarting from investing so much time into a frustrating reading experience.
Written by Mark Sieber
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