Article contributed by Noura Khalid
It’s weird how much time you spent hiding, when all you really wanted was to be seen.
Hole In The Middle caught my interest the moment I read the synopsis as it seemed as though it held an uplifting story about body image, self-love, and friendship. Since I personally haven’t read many contemporary books, I did find it difficult for me to get into unfortunately. The beginning was slow, but as the story progressed, it picked up and now all I want to do is to discuss the important elements it holds.
Ke
ndra Fortmeyer truly weaved a story of self acceptance. The book might have been a little slow at first, but I feel the need to thank the author with all my heart for writing a story like this. If there’s something this book taught me, it’s that we all have our own hole. Although it might not physically be in our middle like Morgan’s, but we all have one somewhere. Physical or otherwise.
The story took an interesting direction and I wanted to know all the ways that Morgan was going to deal with people’s criticism and mean comments. Caroline proved to be quite a wonderful best friend by always spreading the positive and also embracing and loving herself entirely. Morgan battled a lot throughout this book between feeling defeated and getting back up and showing the world who she truly is. Howie was one of those really sweet characters who always accepts people and giving second chances. Then there’s Morgan’s mother, who was my least favourite character in the book. We got to know a little bit about why she is the way she is, and I guess we’ll have to settle for that. There were also plenty of humorous moments, which readers will definitely enjoy. The story is incredibly different from most contemporary books that you see on bookstore shelves. Perhaps by the end of this read, everyone will have found a way to relate to the main idea of the book just as it did by sending a positive message to me, and I hope it’ll send a positive one to other readers too.
In a way I’m satisfied with the way the book ended, which gave a strange feeling of happiness. Regardless of how I felt in the beginning with its pace, this book would be highly recommended as the story is just too lovely to miss out on.
Hole In The Middle is now available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Will you be checking out Hole In The Middle? Have you already read it? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Morgan Stone was born with a hole in her middle: a perfectly smooth, sealed, fist-sized chunk of nothing near her belly button. After seventeen years of hiding behind lumpy sweaters and a smart mouth, she’s fed up with keeping her secret. On the dance floor one night, she decides to bare all.
At first she feels liberated . . . until a few online photos snowball into a media frenzy. Now Morgan is desperate to return to her own strange version of normal—when only her doctors, her divorced parents, and her best friend, Caro, knew the truth. But tragically Morgan’s newfound openness and Internet celebrity seem to push those closest to her further and further away.
Then a new doctor appears with a boy who may be both Morgan’s cure and her destiny. What happens when you meet the person who is—literally—your perfect match? Is being whole really all it’s cracked up to be?
