The Hollow Places

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Think about the novel’s unique blend of conversational humor and cosmic horror. What effect did this combination have on your reading experience? Did you find it made the scary moments more or less impactful?

2. The author explicitly cites Algernon Blackwood’s classic story “The Willows” as a major inspiration. In what ways does The Hollow Places feel like a modern tribute to that style of horror, and where do you see it departing to create something new?

3. The novel frequently discusses taxidermy, willow trees, and graphic design, as well as otherworldly horrors. What part of the book has stuck with you the most since you finished it, and why?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Kara finds a true sanctuary in the eccentric Wonder Museum after her conventional life falls apart. Think about a time you’ve found comfort or a sense of belonging in an unconventional place or community. What was it about that place that made you feel safe and at home?

2. Consider how Kara and Simon use banter and jokes as a coping mechanism in the face of absolute terror. What coping mechanisms have you used in the past that might help you in a similar situation?

3. The book suggests Uncle Earl’s kindness is a tangible force, powerful enough to animate the taxidermy to protect Kara. Have you ever experienced or witnessed an act of kindness that felt like it had a real, protective power in a difficult situation?

4. Many of the museum’s objects, like the mounted elk head Prince, are important to Kara because of the personal history they hold. Consider an object from your own life that has a story attached to it. Why is it meaningful to you, and what memories does it hold?

5. After surviving the willow world, Kara’s perspective on her old problems, like her divorce from Mark, completely changes. Has an experience ever fundamentally shifted your own priorities or made past worries seem insignificant?

6. What did you think of Uncle Earl’s eclectic belief system, which comfortably includes Jesus, Bigfoot, and aliens?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The story’s portal opens in a roadside museum in North Carolina, a setting grounded in a specific American subculture of quirky, homespun weirdness. How does this backdrop heighten the horror of the alien world Kara and Simon discover? What might this contrast suggest about the relationship between the mundane and the unknown?

2. The soldier’s logbook reveals that a secret government organization has been studying, and failing to understand, the vacuae. What commentary does this subplot offer on how institutions try to categorize and control phenomena that defy rational explanation?

3. In what ways does the novel’s theme of humanity’s insignificance in a vast, indifferent universe feel relevant to the anxieties of our current historical moment?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Kara’s and Simon’s commentary are key parts of the novel’s style, generating a mix of sarcasm, humor, and fear. How did their distinctive voices shape your experience of the story? Do you think the horror elements would have been more or less effective with different characters?

2. Discuss the corpse-otter carving, which acts as a seed or key from the willow world. How does its dual nature, showing both an animal and a corpse, reflect the novel’s larger themes about life, death, and the unnatural?

3. What is the narrative function of Simon’s “chimera” eye and his unique way of perceiving the world? Where does he “see” the world differently, and how does this impact Kara’s experience?

4. The idea that intense pain can hide a person’s thoughts from “Them” is a crucial survival mechanism in the story. What does this concept reveal about the nature of consciousness in the novel’s universe, and how does it subvert typical horror tropes?

5. If you’ve read T. Kingfisher’s The Twisted Ones, how would you compare its use of folk horror to the cosmic horror in The Hollow Places? If you haven’t, how does this novel play with or update the classic “portal fantasy” genre?

6. In the climactic scene, the willowlight animates the museum’s taxidermy, infused with Uncle Earl’s kindness, which ultimately defends Kara. How does this serve as the ultimate conclusion to the theme of Defining Home and Safety in the Bizarre?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you get to create a new exhibit for the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy. What object would you contribute, and what backstory would you give it to fit in with Uncle Earl’s collection?

2. If you found yourself trapped in one of the bunkers in the willow world, what message would you scratch on the wall for the next person to find?

3. Suppose you could interview Martin Sturdivant before his horrific encounter with “Them.” What would you ask the former park ranger about the “kudzu cathedral” that served as his portal into the willow world?