3 out of 4 stars
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I will not lie to you – McDowell is the kind of novel that leaves you so ambivalent about the main protagonist that when pushed to make a stand about him away from the fence, you will find yourself becoming philosophical and uttering quotes in the family of this one that used to hang in my campus room:
William H. Coles is a seasoned author who has published more than ten award-winning novels, including McDowell. He uses his experience as a former ophthalmic trauma surgeon, department chairman, and regent for the American College of Surgeons, to create a convincing plot along the corridors of medicine and power! Hiram McDowell, the main protagonist in this other fiction genre novel, is a stellar surgeon who does not let anything stand in his way to the top. He connives, shoves or eliminates anything blocking his way to his desired destination. This anything could be an exhausted mountain climbing partner, a young boy attempting suicide or just about anyone. So successful is McDowell in his endeavors, that he soon catches the president's eye and is appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services. But alas, soon after, his lucky rising streak begins to wobble. Will his sterling professional image crumble into the shambles that characterize his family front? Oh right, I hadn’t yet mentioned to you that McDowell is clueless when it comes to nurturing inter-personal relationships! He is a playboy with three failed marriages in his record. His three children are not close to him. His two stepchildren never talk to him. He is obnoxious to the women and mistresses he picks all over. He callously steps on toes and ruffles feathers, without a backward glance! Well, while some of the people McDowell angered were bailing for his blood, a few mistakes he had tried to cover up backfired. In no time he tumbled from a distinguished public figure position to that of a hunted fugitive. Read the book to find out how a world-renowned surgeon copes with life amongst the homeless!There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us that it is hard to tell which one of us should change the rest of us!
This novel is divided into two parts. The first being an account of McDowell's life as he goes up the career ladder. We encounter him living the high life to the fullest! He’s the President of the Board of Regents of the International College of Surgeons. He heads a Department of Surgery in Denver. He climbs high mountains, runs marathons, and is the founder of a foundation that up-fronts a surgery center in Nepal. He is practically a super-human hero. The second part of the book focuses on his life as a fugitive. We see how his streetwise disposition and quick reflexes catapult him to the top of his game once again. We find him begging, performing to crowds and successfully evading the long arm of the law! I must commend the author for his mastery in weaving a plot that powerfully pulls hard on the heartstrings, in opposite directions! I found myself loving and hating McDowell in equal measure! On the one hand, his life-devoted-to-me attitude was a big turn-off. I mean, he took absolutely no responsibility for his actions. He lied to people and made them feel inferior and demeaned. He treated women as sex-tools, his wife as a desperate nutcase. Sample his description of her in the opening chapter:
On the other hand, McDowell tried to be there for his children and to help them in their struggles. Generally, his charm and charisma were remarkable. Allow me to go out on a limb here and argue that his callousness did not stem out of malice. He was simply too self-absorbed to empathize with anyone. According to him, if people felt cheated or belittled by him, it was their problem! It is no wonder then that he felt he was the victim when circumstances forced him to become a fugitive! He was initially so bitter and angry with everyone, that I expected him to do something crazy. Indeed, he epitomized the popular Miller of the Dee’s folk song ‘I care for nobody, no not I, and nobody cares for me!' Despite his signature arrogance, I couldn’t help rooting for him when by sheer grit and cunning charm, he always managed to outwit those hunting him. Moreover, he literally put his own troubles aside to save a few lives!Carole practiced clinical psychology and lived in her own caverns of self-imposed hell.
Narrating the story in the third person, Coles cleverly uses both past and present tenses, and even some ‘street-speak’ to weave a conversationally flowing storyline that gives the reader insights into the characters' reasoning. He introduces many characters and side plots which he superbly manages to keep relevant to the plot. The main theme found in the novel seems to be the ripple effects of un-nurtured relationships. Betrayal and revenge are also high on the list. Euthanasia is a surprisingly interesting angle that also crops up in the book. Before reading McDowell, I had a preformed opinion about euthanasia or assisted suicide. Even though I did not completely go over the fence to the other side of my opinion after reading it, I did move many steps towards the fence!
McDowell and his daughter Sophie show remarkable character development. When he starts writing his memoir during his life on the run, some of the people McDowell meets help him see his former interactions in a whole new perspective. He thus tries to redeem himself. Though Cole’s command of the English language is laudable, and the book is professionally edited, I still came across that occasional wrong word use like ‘undo’ instead of ‘undue’ and a couple other minor errors. These in no way interfered with the flow of the story, but they greatly assuaged my ‘what the heck!,' feeling over the publisher’s special instructions that all reviewers speak English ‘naively’ as their first language! Petty of me, right?
I wish there had been more depth in the other characters in the book as well. For example, McDowell’s other daughter, Ann, despite having a crucial role in the plot, is almost an abstract entity! The elephant in the room for me, however, was the derogatory way in which women were described in the book. Older women who happened not to be in a relationship were often portrayed as vain, lonely, unfulfilled, and desperate pickups. I immensely hated this sexism and degradation of women in. In addition, the private investigator’s occasionally unexplained ‘leads’ that took her right where McDowell was, made the hunt appear so simple. Neither was she professional in carrying out her investigations. You will agree with me that only an amateur would barge into a new town and start showing pictures of the hunted before first lying low and secretly studying the residents. It did not help that she came highly recommended! I also found the ending of the book to be a bit rushed.
I feel it is fair to rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to lovers of fiction, who are not strongly affected by arrogant protagonists and the belittlement of women.
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McDowell
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