House of Hollow

As the middle child of the Hollow sisters, Vivi Hollow functions primarily as Grey’s sidekick and a contrast to Iris. Though Vivi and Iris share less violent and secretive tendencies than Grey, Vivi is volatile and stubborn. She banters with others, even telling a feverish Grey to hurry and recover so she can return to her musical tour and kiss different women every night again. While Iris is empathetic and thoughtful, Vivi is defiant and snarky, especially when it comes to authority figures: “She back-talked teachers, cut slashes in her uniforms to make them more punk, spray-painted graffiti in the bathrooms, and refused to remove her many piercings” (4). Vivi and Grey’s “alchemical self-confidence” makes them immune to others’ judgment, so Vivi embraced “punk” fashion, dropped out of school, and followed her rock star dreams.

Vivi also turns to alcohol, drugs, and sexual encounters for comfort. After Vivi and Iris fail to find Grey, leading to a press conference, Vivi retreats to the bar; she also drinks with Tyler when Grey is recovering in Agnes’s house. Vivi’s vices all stem from her inability to face the truth (her and her sisters’ “disappearance”). However, she learns to be more reliable when Iris voices her fear of losing both older sisters. Like Iris, she avoids discussing the past, but slowly pieces together Grey’s dark fairy tales and flashbacks of the Halfway to reconstruct the truth.

By the novel’s conclusion, Vivi becomes more empathetic and responsible. She apologizes to Cate and chooses to stay home and help Iris in her quest to find Tyler, rather than run back to her musical life. She retains her snarky sense of humor, but has learned to control her anger, as she doesn’t explode at Grey for her murders or mock Iris for her kindness anymore.

Grey Hollow is the leader of the Hollow sisters, serving as both role model and the novel’s true antagonist. A model and fashion designer for the titular House of Hollow, she’s artistic, dramatic, and manipulative. Her obsession with dark fairy tales and runes makes her a unique character, further accentuated by the sisters’ shared ability to intoxicate others (which she takes immense pleasure in). However, Grey is also secretive and violent: She never told her sisters that she remembered the details of their month-long disappearance, navigated the Halfway alone, compelled Gabe to die by suicide, and threatened Cate’s life if she ever harmed Iris.

In contrast to the sensitive Iris, Grey is fearless and merciless. Because she only cares about herself, her sisters, and boyfriend (turned-ex-boyfriend) Tyler, she’s unafraid to harm others who threaten them. Grey killed the real Hollow girls to give her family a second chance at life (as it’s implied they were trapped in the Halfway). Though Iris and Vivi are shocked by this revelation, Grey feels no remorse for murdering innocents. Despite being shunned by her sisters (and their mother Cate years ago), Grey still protects them from police and reporters after they return home from the Halfway, promising she’ll wait to reconnect. Unlike most characters, she remains static and simply reveals her true identity over the course of the novel.