The Bookworm: 'What Holly Heard'

What Holly Heard, by R.L. Stine. 145 pages. January 1996. Pocket Books.

“See?” he sneered. “You don’t like it, either. Now you know how I felt out there in front of all those people, humiliated and bleeding like some kind of loser!” (p. 44)

It has been a long time since I read an old Fear Street book, so I curled up with a gem of misdirection that fits the season: What Holly Heard.

What Holly Heard is a whirlwind of storylines that surrounds three quarrelsome best friends: Miriam, Ruth, and Holly. When Miriam hears what Holly heard, she dismisses it as outrageous hearsay. But two murders make her change her mind, and she desperately tries to figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim.

This copy of Holly is among the last of a batch of old Fear Street books I bought a while ago. It’s not the best copy in the world—the covers and binding are covered with protective tape, a partially removed price tag is stuck on the back, and someone has marked the Fear Street book checklist—but it’s acceptable and readable. Such is the luck of the draw when buying used books via Amazon. (I try not to buy anything directly from Amazon. I’ve read articles about how horrible its fulfillment centers are, so I do not want to support them.) Some copies are in pristine condition while others show considerable use and age. Overall, though, they are not bad for mass market books, some of which are over 30 years old. I have another batch of old Fear Street books on the way, so it will be interesting to see how they look.

Anyway, back to Holly. There is a lot going on in 145 pages. The story starts slow, however; there is a lot of context to lay and the blood does not start flowing until after page 50. I like that, though; I’m a fan of a slower pace because it feels much more organic. It’s one reason why I like Alien so much; the natural pacing and buildup add to the suspense and realism—as much realism as there can be in a sci-fi horror movie.

Holly takes place in February, which means I read it at the perfect time. The weather in Shadyside is cold and snowy, and the characters attend basketball games. I love it when the season in the story matches the season in real life.

Reading Holly made me realize that Stine loves breaking characters’ necks. It would be interesting (and borderline creepy and sadistic) to make a spreadsheet tracking every fatality in the Fear Street series. (I recall wanting to track the body count when I started re-reading my original collection, but I have not done that.) I’m sure the majority of victims would have broken necks.

On that note, many characters drive a Honda, usually a Honda Civic. If one tracked vehicles referenced in the Fear Street series (much less creepy and sadistic), I bet there would be more Hondas than any other brand. Hondas were very popular during the time the books were written, so it fits the era; I remember Honda Accords and Civics being everywhere in the early and mid-nineties. (I often think that the fourth generation Honda Accord is to millennials what the 1957 Chevy is for baby boomers: the classic car. Or maybe it’s just me. I smile every time I see a fourth generation Accord on the road—which is becoming increasingly rare.) Hondas are still everywhere, but I guess I don’t notice them as much.

Much of the drama in Holly is driven by circumstantial evidence and assumptions. Of course, one could say that about a lot of Fear Street books. There are numerous instances (perhaps trackable via spreadsheet; I’m all about this idea today, a kind of neoliberal approach to assessing the Fear Street series) when characters are accused of something by conjecture. Holly is basically a book telling teens how dangerous and baseless rumors can be.

Here are some more itemized thoughts:

• Noah is described as a rebel with a “double-pierced ear” (p. 3). Scandalous! A boy with a double-pierced ear! What is the world coming to?! ;-)

• Holly is described as always wearing an “electric blue” scarf, which is fittingly included in the cover art.

• A band called The Dustmites plays at a party. I can’t decide whether or not The Dustmites is a good band name.

• I love this vague description of Gary’s prowess on the basketball court: “Gary was shorter than Jed, but he had good moves” (p. 19).

• When Miriam describes Ruth’s house as being “three doors down” (p. 121), I thought of 3 Doors Down.

• This description took me back to working late on the newspaper in high school:

The main hallway stood dark and empty. Miriam paused, listening for the sound of other kids working. In the auditorium. In the library down the hall. Anywhere.

Silence. (p. 67)

I really liked the experience of walking through the hallways after school. They were empty and quiet—a contrast to passing time. It was a very different feeling and experience. I sometimes felt like the only person there.

• Speaking of January 1996, I vividly remember a couple events in late January and early February 1996. There were a few days in late January that were unseasonably warm, probably in the 60s, and they were followed by a snow storm on January 26 that dumped 26 inches (if I remember correctly) of snow on Iowa City. It was followed by record-setting cold. It was so cold, the school district canceled school. (Everyone cheered when the principal announced that school was canceled the next day.) It was the first and only time I remember school being closed because it was too cold. I’m unsure why, but those weather-related events have stuck with me, probably because they were so unprecedented in my life at the time.