When I was in college I read a fair bit of southern gothic novels: Faulkner and O'Connor, mostly, with a smattering of others. I loved how desperate some of Faulkner's characters could be and how O'Connor could startle you with the grotesquery of hers. Hersh's novel is cut from the same cloth. While Boy In The Hole is obviously an exploration of the impact of abuse and the grimly unpleasant insanity that boils outward from events like that in a family, it is also about surpassing the limitations put on someone from such family catastrophes.

Early in the book, every scene is laid carefully, like glass in an inlay, every piece broken, sharp-edged, and disconnected, but building a picture I wasn't sure I wanted to see. The writer is quite adept, with a few scenes being downright artful while others are startling, and the novel really IS southern gothic. It bursts with the lavish details, nasty secrets slithering below the surface like a mud pit filled with eels, and comical bumps and jolts that are natural outgrowths of such odd characters interacting. There are a few events that happen late in the book I wish had been more firmly placed in the story, more fleshed out, because they can give certain sections a rushed feel. However, that being said, by the time the ending comes, it feels inevitable. The whole of the book is moving towards certain key themes and the main character, Jacob, comes to a solution that is probably the most realistic, most unavoidable, way to handle such a legacy of abuse and even mental illness. As much as it is complete when it ends, it allows easily for sequels, though I wonder where it would go from here.

I'm going to rate the book highly. It's good, and any writer that can successfully evoke Flannery O'Connor, and even touch some similar themes to ones she was fond of, is going to get an extra star as far as I'm concerned.

I was hooked from the first page. The author has a captivating, but matter of fact style of writing that draws the reader in and makes them vividly see and experience everything the characters are experiencing. The story follows Jacob as he grows up in an abusive and frankly mentally ill family as he deals with his sexuality, abuse, and downright cruelty. As a mother and survivor of some abuse this story was frankly hard to read at times and uncomfortable in its' honesty, but that's why it feels so important. As painful and vivid as some parts are, I couldn't stop reading because of how engaging the story was and how vividly told. The novel has the feel of a southern gothic, but Hersh does an incredible job of not being pretentious in his writing which to me is a failure of many novels of this style. Hersh succeeds in telling an incredibly painful story without preaching to his audience and leaving them with some hope for Jacob's future. Although the ending leaves the story finished, I couldn't help hoping for more of Jacob's story and hope that a sequel might be planned. Wonderful writing, excellent narrative, and highly recommend this book.

Boy In The Hole is a captivating struggle of a young boy growing up in small town USA with a family full of sexual secrets, perversions, and insanity. Jacob is faced with being a protector of his little sister and himself while he’s surrounded by monsters and insanity in his family. Akiva takes his readers where many authors have not gone showing just how much Jacob struggles with his sexual and masculine insecurities. Jacob looks for love and acceptance in many faces, yet sadly rarely finds it through the ones closest to him.
This is a story so powerful and intriguing it keeps you turning the page and looking for a hero along with Jacob! My tears stained many pages of this beautiful tragedy Akiva has told through his eyes. It’s sad, sweet, dark, humorous, and most of all completely raw with emotion. He makes his audience face (head on) topics that were taboo back in the 70’s and 80’s, and still in some cases today!

A Boy In The Hole is a must read for anyone who has ever faced or has known anyone that have questioned their own sexuality, family dysfunction, or sexual abuse.
I do hope Akiva decides to take us further on his journey passed where he left off in Boy In The Hole. I would read every sequel he might choose to write! It left me yearning for more of his story!

I was enthralled from the first paragraph. Afraid of what I might read and unable to stop. A story of tragic circumstances and triumphant power over the evil of complacency. A child should never be responsible for the burdens of his family's secrets. Parents should protect their children at all costs, not sweep unimaginable abuse under the rug in the name of God and family. To spite the weight of the needs of his mother, inability to take action from his father, and his own internal battle between sexuality, religion, and loss, with the help of his teacher, Jacob learns to survive using mind over matter and the art of Quantum Change to navigate the people and world around him. Boy In The Hole takes you on a real journey of life and love from the eyes of a boy coming of age in a world with out a safety net. A fast read, I was left longing for more and waiting for what's next.

Author Akiva Hersh possesses a writing style that keeps the reader engaged and turning pages. The book’s early character development engages the reader completely, leading to a deep interest in what happens to Jacob and those he loves. He is a 12-year boy growing up in the south in a family that is dysfunctional at its best and abusive at its worst. It is difficult to know exactly how his family’s treatment of him and his sister is affecting him on an emotional level since identifying and expressing his feelings was dangerous, eliciting ridicule and cruelty from his mother. The only thing Jacob is certain of is that he is drawn to other boys where he frequently finds the acceptance and affection he is denied at home. Hersh writes Jacob’s experiences with sexual awakening with ease and confidence. However, I was left wanting more in the way of experiencing Jacob’s coming of age process, which seemed rushed and somewhat devoid of details. I want to know more about him and what kind of man he grows into. Perhaps Hersh is planning a sequel? If so, sign me up.