Holly begins with a disturbing opening scene. It takes place in 2012 when Jorge Castro, a university town creative writing teacher, is out for a jog on a misty evening. He comes across his colleagues, professors Emily and Rodney Harris, who are struggling to load Rodney into their van due to his wheelchair. Jorge offers to help, but he soon realizes that he has fallen into a trap. He wakes up later to find himself confined in a cage in their basement. The cage is specially constructed and filled with ominous tools, and Jorge realizes he may be there for a while. Emily Harris later appears, offering him a raw calf’s liver to eat.
Fast forward eleven years later, Holly Gibney is mourning her mother’s death over Zoom when she receives a plea from a new client, Penny Dahl, to investigate her missing daughter Bonnie. As Holly delves into the case, she begins to uncover a connection between Bonnie’s disappearance and other missing people in the neighborhood.
Stephen King’s resilient and independent private detective, Holly Gibney, has made appearances in four recent novels. However, this novel, titled Holly, is solely focused on her character. Holly is a captivating character, with her determination and resourcefulness. As someone on the autism spectrum, with obsessive-compulsive disorder and sensory processing disorder, she struggles with interpersonal skills but finds herself drawn to a profession that requires them. “Tears are hard for Holly to handle,” but her chosen path exposes her to sorrow and emotional turmoil.
The novel revolves around the question of why rather than who. It alternates between Holly in the present and the victims of the Harrises over the years. The Harris couple, macabre college professors, are depicted with great detail. Their tenderness towards each other, while also bearing the weight of a long marriage, is both believable and chilling. Each victim’s capture is depicted in a haunting manner, and as the narrative progresses, the true nature of the Harrises’ project is revealed, escalating the horror.
King reveals that the novel originated from a scene of a daughter attending her mother’s virtual funeral. Holly Gibney’s fictional world is firmly rooted in reality, particularly during the lockdown. The characters adhere to social distancing measures, greet each other with elbow bumps, and discuss their vaccine brands. Holly’s mother, an anti-vaxxer, succumbs to the virus, adding a layer of sorrow and isolation to the story. Holly carries a heavy burden of grief, from the lives lost during the pandemic to the inevitable decay of the human body and the flawed nature of familial love.
The Harrises’ objective, ultimately uncovered, serves as a subtle commentary on the parasitic nature of academia, making this novel also a reflection on the art of writing. Jorge Castro, the first victim, is a creative writing teacher, while Emily Harris is involved in reviewing creative writing submissions for the university department. The novel intertwines various plotlines, including the aspirations of Jerome Robinson, a young Black writer, and his sister Barbara, an aspiring poet. Barbara finds mentorship from Olivia Kingsbury, a renowned poet in her final years. These elements contribute to the novel’s overall conclusion and offer insightful reflections on the power of writing and truth.
Holly is a haunting and poetic exploration of justice. The relentless pursuit of truth drives Holly’s investigation, while current issues such as Covid-19, Black Lives Matter, Trump, and the January 6th insurrection serve as persistent themes. The Harrises themselves battle against the injustices of time and aging. Ultimately, the novel aims to expel the poison within and bring healing.
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