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Description edit see section history

Nicholson Baker's House of Holes is gleefully provocative, off-the-charts sex novel that is unlike anything you’ve read.

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Shandee: Finder of Dave's arm at a granite quarry; now looking for the rest of Dave.
  • Dave's arm: A friendly animated half-Italian, half-Welch arm
  • Dave: Trades his left arm for a larger penis and later"loses his head."
  • Ned: Entered the House of Holes by being sucked down the seventh green golf hole
  • Luna: Meets a man made up of light bulbs in a tanning salon and later makes love with a pearwood tree.
  • Lila: Former hospital administrator and current director of House of Holes.
  • Pendle: A man who was sucked down a black circle found in an job announcement recruiting for an interviewer of individual's sexual experiences.
  • Zilka: Employee of House of Holes' Intake and Interview section.
  • Cardell: An employee of a small city's planning office looking for a nice, smart, sexy woman who assists a young woman in mustard-colored stockings to lay a silver egg. He enters the House of Holes through the rear of a commercial dryer and gel pen.
  • Koizumi: Japanese sculpture of women in wood. Each one has a hole drilled in their bottom which can serve as a doorway into the House of Holes.
  • Marcela: Art critic who enjoys Magic Kentucky Lime squeezed on her bottom.
  • Rhumpa: A woman enters the Hose of Holes through a pepper grinder who dances solo in a porn video.
  • Wade: A man who seeks help from the House of Holes on how to be friendly to a woman however must work as a sludge truck driver to pay his fees. Sludge trucks transports pornsludge.
  • Crackers: House of Holes employee who entices men with her marvelous smile and lap dances.
  • Jessica: A woman who walks around wearing few clothes who has her tattoos removed at the House of Holes in order to work as a photographer's model.
  • Hax: House of Holes employee who resembles the singer Bobby McFerrin who can remove tattoos by taking them onto his body.
  • Henriette: A woman who seeks the House of Holes assistance in regaining the sensitivity she has loss because of an overuse of a vibrator.
  • Daggett: House of Holes employee and Deprivo
  • Dennis: A traveling teacher who fell into one of his student's purses.
  • Miindy: A filmmaker who shrank who find herself at the House of Holes stuck in Dennis' penis.
  • Polly: Woman who is transported with her estranged boyfriend to the House of Holes and visits the Hall of Penises.
  • Chilli: A young woman who catches Dave pleasuring himself in a field near the House of Holes.
  • Betsy: A woman that Cardell met on the beach who she brought back to her condo for a Snapple and a sexual adventure.
  • Jason: A reclusive man who lives in Jason's Woods who carves wooden bowls and sexual toys from the pearwood trees.
  • Mr. Borodin: Add a description of this character.
  • Mr. Rimsky-Korsakov
Show all 26 characters
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Organizations edit see section history

  • Deprivos: Men at House of Holes who are unable look at a woman's bare breast because the penalty is to have their testicles removed and put in storage for two weeks.

First Sentence edit see section history

Shandee's sister gave her all her makeup because she was going off to Guatemala.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. Shandee Finds Dave's Arm
2. Ned Gets Sniffed
3. Luna Goes to a Concert
4. Pendle Interviews for a Job
5. Shanee Learns How to Wash a Penis
6. Cardell Has a Sherry Cobbler
7. Marcela Admires Koizumi's Sculpture
8. Shandee Wears the Sponge Gloves
9. Rhumpa Unbuttons Her Shirt
10. Cardell Goes to the Laundromat
11. The Story of Prince Bohuslav's Beard
12. Rhumpa Makes Her Come Video
13. Wade Learns about the Cloth of Ka-Chiang
14. Cardell Buys a Gel Pen
15. Jessica Has Some Tattoos Removed
16. Wade Presses the Sex Now Button and Koizumi Visits
17. Henriette Surfs the Lake
18. Dennis Explores Mindy's Purse
19. Polly Visits the Hall of the Penises
20. Pendle Buys a Bathing Suit
21. Henriette Chooses the Cheekpump
22. Dave Trespasses
23. Dave Visits the Midway
24. Chilli Goes to the Porndecahedron with Dave
25.Ned Undergoes a Voluntary Head Detachment
26. Reese Visits a Headless Bedroom
27. Cardell Meets Betsy on the Beach
28. Luna Fucks a Penis Tree
29. Henriette Goes for A Walk
30. Dune Tells Mindy How He Lost His Penis
31. Rhumpa Visits the Pornmonster
32. The Pearloiner Says She's Sorry
33. Shandee Goes to the Festival
34. Dave Gets His Old Cock Back
35. Lila Says It's Almost Time to Go
36. The Silver Egg Hatches

Glossary edit see section history

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4391-8951-1
Page Count: 262

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3552.A4325H68
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Sexual content


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