Lynn Vroman’s Into The Hollow is a beautiful story about survival, the harsh landscape of rural Appalachia, destructive families, poverty, friendship and the striking, unforgettable rawness of love. The story follows Free, a girl who loves her younger brother Little more than anything and follows her dad’s “winging it” plans which always fall through because she has no choice if she wants her family to stay together. They’ve had to run away from their old life, leaving them with the bare minimum for survival and limited options for the future. One day, her neighbour Cole, who lives in the same poverty-ridden part of the world as her, finally approaches her and starts asking the questions he’s always wanted to know, the ones Free doesn’t want to answer. As the pair grow closer, Free discovers that it might actually be Cole who needs her the most. And that might just cost her everything she’s ever known.
I am so incredibly happy I got to read this ARC and I would so love to buy a copy when it comes out in November. I was really blown away by this story and it comes down to three things that are so important to me in every book I read: the writing, the original story and the characters that felt larger than life.
First of all, Lynn Vroman’s writing is so exquisitely subtle, it’s breathtaking. Her style was simple and easy to follow, but it had a delicate bite to it that was powerful and perfect for getting across the scope of the rural landscape, the sorrow and fear of the characters and beauty of a life full of moments that are always changing and always so precious. I was really, really impressed as a reader.
For me, the story felt so fresh and different to a lot of YA I’ve read recently. It has a completely different feeling to it, in the sense that it begins with exploring the struggles of poverty, homelessness and the loyalty young people feel toward their families even if they are not good for them. I found it fascinating to get a look into Free and Cole’s lives, so different to mine growing up. They are living to survive and get by. Free wants nothing more than to keep her brother safe and Cole wants nothing more than to escape his destructive family. It was chilling to read about. The plot is so tender and exciting, with both the harsh and the beautiful thrown in as the characters move through their world and adapt to changes.
The characters really come to life in this book and I adored each and every one of them. Free is a math genius, loyal to her family, tough and protective of her little brother, Little, who is the most adorable five year old you’re likely to read about this year, and desperate to keep her family together no matter how much she has to sacrifice. Cole has lived a difficult life and dreams of escaping it, which he writes about along with his Journalistic headlines in his countless notebooks. He’s friendly, generous and feels everything strongly and head on. Cole and Free’s budding friendship is wonderful to read, I loved seeing how it developed. There are also many other minor characters, such as Cole’s friend group, fantastic teachers and some characters I won’t mention that I either felt sorry for or hated. Each character has an integral role to play, but it’s especially Free and Cole that shine in this book.
I’m not usually one to care about giving ratings. I give stars on my finished reads on Goodreads, but that’s about as far as I go. There was only really reason why Into The Hollow didn’t get the full five stars from me, and that was only that I felt towards the end of the book some of the plot felt a little rushed or that there hadn’t been quite enough backbone. That didn’t spoil my overall feeling of the book, though, just meant it was just a little under perfect, like a 4.7 if I’m being precise. I absolutely loved Into The Hollow. I’m so inspired by Lynn Vroman’s writing style and the story she has breathed into these pages. Free and Cole with always live in my heart.
