Review by Tracey Madeley -- McDowell by William H. Coles

[Tracey Madeley]

[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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McDowell is a little like Daphne de Maurier’s Rebecca in the sense that the book is named after the protagonist. Her presence pervades the whole book, but we never see her. We do meet Hiram McDowell, but only for a small proportion of the book. Personally, I think it would be less disjointed if he was completely absent and others told his story.

Equally, it is unusual to have a dislike of the protagonist from the beginning, but this selfish, career minded individual does not appear to have any redeeming features at first glance. It is nice to see that his first conquest is not some skinny supermodel. She is also insightful enough to show him his faults. Something he detests. This will be repeated in part two when he meets the old woman and her husband.

Carole represents the long line of women Hiram has divorced. When Tasha, Carole’s daughter, falls pregnant with Billie’s son, Hiram refuses to accept this and will only pay for an abortion, not maintenance. This exemplifies Hiram’s attitude of career first, family second, maybe even wife third. Carole files for divorce and Tasha keeps the baby.

Sophie is Hiram’s daughter, a photographer and perhaps the closest to her father, not in temperament, but in affection. She is the one Paige befriends when she wants to find Hiram. Paige is a TV reporter, demoted from her show by her boss, she moves to cover health issues. This is when she meets and interviews Hiram. Attending his charity fundraiser, Paige sees it as extravagant and seeks to turn her media career around by writing a biography exposing him. However, as part two will show he is not as black as she would paint him, and any biography needs to be objective.

I like the fact that women are used in a defining role in the novel, to not only show Hiram’s faults but comment on his character and redemption. Although I think hardship and deprivation shape his changing character more than any woman – Winona perhaps being the exception. It is nice that the writer chooses women to do this, in contrast to the sexism in the book. Paige is demoted and replaced by a younger model who is sleeping with the boss. Sophie only gets her break in photography because her father part funds her work and although Hiram loves women, it is to fulfill a sexual need rather than a meaningful pursuit, that is why Winona is an exception. There are some allusions to class and the differences between rich and poor. Hiram is a doctor and his lavish fundraiser speaks of wealth and excess. In comparison, the trailer park shows the white working class and the bars, the rhythm and blues of the black poor. We only have a few scenes with McDowell and a lot of the time is devoted to the lives of the other characters, which makes things a little disjointed. Also, we are told a lot of what happens to him rather than shown, especially in part one.

Providing they can get past the obnoxious beginning, and see Hiram as a work in progress, most women will like this book, due to the dominance of female characters. It is not a romance as such, but a human interest story leading to redemption. I don’t think there is enough action and achievement to appeal to male readers even though it covers a lot of ground.

I would give this book 3 out of 4 stars.

Despite the fact that I found the book a little disjointed its use of female characters does add more depth and I think this rescues the score from a 2 to a 3. It would have been even better if the scenes had been more developed and there was more showing than telling.

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McDowell
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