3 out of 4 stars
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The book McDowell tells the story of Hiram McDowell, a famous surgeon, and the choices that he made, which led to his fame and subsequent fall from fame. We first meet Hiram on a climbing expedition where he abandons his partner with no qualms when the need arises. The story goes on to tell us about how Hiram becomes famous and gains recognition by acquiring a position in government. However being the type of person he is, he screws it up by overlooking a lot of things in his responsibility and acquiring enemies on his way up the ladder of success. As a result, things work around to a scenario in which McDowell finds himself stripped of his government position and convicted of the murder of his grandson. This is when things really get interesting. Hiram is forced to embark on a journey of realization that leaves the reader ruminating for a long time.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the way the author leads the reader straight into the heart of the story right from the beginning. The pace is easy and companionable, and you find yourself easily engulfed in the story. From the start, it is clear that McDowell is a rogue with no moral obligations. We first meet him as he abandons his climbing partner on an icy mountain top without a second thought. His relationship with his wife is strained and tenuous, with no love or affection. He doesn’t show much regard for women, except his daughter Sophie. He holds his wife in deep contempt and when he tried to bitch about her to a one night stand, the woman calls him “a woman’s nightmare”.
Hiram is also self-absorbed and unscrupulous in his dealings with colleagues at work. He convinces a friend, Michael to resign from his current job in exchange for a directorship that he knew he might not be able to deliver on. Who does that? And yes, he doesn’t give him the directorship.
I must say reading about the character McDowell was interesting for me. His ruthless character is portrayed so well I had to wonder if the author was writing from his own experiences or those of someone very close to him. I found myself asking: what is he going to do next? How far can he go? I loved it when Maud, a female bookseller whose family he lived with after his fall called him "a materialist that lost his material".
Another interesting part of the book worth mentioning was the story of Willie Brown. In this chapter, the narration switches to a low class English slang with no regard for the rules of grammar. A sample sentence reads “sh*t, the white dude going be blowing over Willie’s guitar and the white dude start tapping his feet hard so his beat crush out Willie’s faint slow pulse and the dude start wailing, sounding like a fast train’s wheels clacking at a spur crossing”. I have to say I really didn’t see the end coming. I had thought the book was going to be a fun read about the exploits and misdemeanors of Hiram McDowell, rather it turned out to be a sad journey about finding the meaning of life.
I am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars because although it was well edited, there were some noticeable typos and omissions. Also I felt some characters I liked, like Selena and Kitsy, were not well developed even though I would have enjoyed reading more about them. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy family sagas and coming of age stories.
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McDowell
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