I had the great privilege of studying under Michael Holt for two years. When, two weeks ago, a friend forwarded me and a fellow student of Holt’s the link to his new book, the three of us immediately purchased copies and instituted a haphazard book club.
I think it is a very beautiful thing that I am able to read a physical work written by a friend. Holt has done an incredible thing through the creation of this tangible relic of his thought and conciousness. I find it very inspiring. It makes me consider writing in a way more serious than I ever have before.
The form of the book is independently notable. I am a proponent of compact, purpose-built objects. I love my Kindle because its existence is limited to precisely what is necessary and nothing more. Any object can be similarly refined. The Seaside Hotel is such an object. Its unique dimensions are subtly unsettling, subverting your assumptions to break you into a concious focus. Less poetically: it is small and almost square, light and fun in the hand.
I read the book sitting on a sunlit porch, and then tucked away stretching out across the length of a light-brown couch. Though I am concerned this says something about my current mental state, The Seaside Hotel brought me a feeling of contentment. I recommend it to all.
Though it almost certainly goes without saying, I am excited to see where Holt goes in the coming years and will follow his works with great interest.