ISP Blog #5, "A Deep Hole," by Ian Rankin

I learned a great deal about short fiction writing through the writings of Ian Rankin. In this particular piece, I learned about the importance of picking an effective title, as well as the importance of a good plot that coincides with good character development.

In my opinion, "A Deep Hole" is a title that I do not think is effective for the piece. There never is a "deep hole" of any importance within the story. The narrator cannot find a hole big enough to hide the body in, so he returns the body back to Daintry's garage. Even figuratively, there is not a "hole" in the narrator's life unless one considers the fact that he does not have a wife as a “hole”. However, I do not think that his single status qualifies as a “hole” in his life. Also, at the outset of the story, the narrator begins by saying, "I still dig up roads - sorry, highways." This statement causes the reader to immediately assume that the reason the piece is entitled, "A Deep Hole" is because of the narrator’s profession. That statement is not only untrue, but could cause the reader to be disinterested from the beginning of the story. Unlike Rankin’s story, “The Hanged Man,” this title is not very effective because it does not cause the reader to become intrigued and to want to read more of the story. I found this particular title less effective because, for me, it did not provide sufficient mystery or encouragement to cause me to want to read more of the story.

Although, I did not like the title, I found the actual piece to be quite helpful in aiding me to write my own story. The plot moves very well throughout, and it has a strong narrative voice. While reading, I forgot that I was reading and actually imagined myself in the story, and in the same position as the narrator. Throughout the story, the reader becomes aware that the narrator does not have enough “gusto,” to carry off the digging up of Daintry’s victim’s body. At first, the reader thinks that the narrator is going to be swift with digging the body as he coolly says to Daintry, “A hundred,” causing Daintry to reply, “All right, one twenty-five. But it’s got to be tonight.” The narrator then says to himself, “I knew just the hole.” At this point in the story, the audience thinks that the narrator has done this before and is good at completing this task. It does not take very long to discover that this idea is untrue. I found that throughout the rest of the story, realizing this detail about the character really came hand in hand with the development of the plot. After realizing that the narrator is not comfortable with this task, it causes the reader to become closer to him, because the reader most likely has not been presented with this task before either and can thus relate to the character. I found that this tactic caused me to continue reading because I was concerned for the character as I was concerned for myself.

In conclusion, through analyzing the title of the piece, “A Deep Hole,” along with the coinciding plot and character development, one can greatly appreciate Ian Rankin’s story.