Review by OrlaCarty -- McDowell by William H. Coles
Posted: 07 Nov 2018, 07:05
[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]
3 out of 4 stars
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McDowell, by William H. Cole, is a novel that details the adult life of Hiram McDowell. He has career as a surgeon, a failing marriage and three unhappy children, but Hiram is struggling. The beginning of the novel provides chapters from his point of view, as well as those of the people around him. All paint a picture of a man that has been twisted by power and wealth to the point where he no longer recognises himself, or his purpose.
This novel is one detailing a transformation. It reads as a collection of short stories, connecting to form an arc of one man’s journey. We join Hiram’s ex-wife, his children and step-children, his colleagues and media staff who follow his story. Each make their own judgements, but Hiram is the only one who can provide the truth.
McDowell touches on several heavy themes such as mass shootings, rape, suicide and euthanasia, which should be considered prior to reading. Some may find it insensitive or traumatic. However, none of the themes are delved into wholeheartedly. Instead they seem to exist solely for the plot, rather than representing any message or opinion. Hiram writes his memoir over the course of the book and I would argue that McDowell itself is this memoir. It is a record of his life and everything he experiences.
Initially, I was turned off by the seemingly haphazard layout of the novel. As I continued, however, they seemed to connect as fragments of one whole piece. The separate points of view are refreshing and introduce trains of thought other than Hiram’s. This is very effective in the first half of the novel as the Hiram that exists there is very self-centred and self-serving, with a thought-process that is tedious to follow. His daughter, a photographer named Sophie, is one of the prominent narrators and she represents everything that he is not. Her vibrant character provides hope that there must be some good in Hiram himself. The reader joins him in a search for this goodness, meeting a variety of people along the way. Each new character teaches Hiram a unique truth and lesson about life.
Unfortunately, the novel did not seem professionally edited. There were many grammatical and punctuational issues throughout. An example would be a character exclaiming that “this is you grandchild”, or another asking “we’re you scared?”. This was irritating and stalled my attention several times. Therefore, although I really enjoyed McDowell, I can only rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend particularly to an audience at a ‘quarter-life crisis’ or ‘mid-crisis’ stage in life, as it focuses heavily on change and internal searching. There are some adult scenes such as sex and the sensitive topics mentioned above, so it is not suitable for children or young teenagers. Anyone older may enjoy the novel.
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McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
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3 out of 4 stars
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McDowell, by William H. Cole, is a novel that details the adult life of Hiram McDowell. He has career as a surgeon, a failing marriage and three unhappy children, but Hiram is struggling. The beginning of the novel provides chapters from his point of view, as well as those of the people around him. All paint a picture of a man that has been twisted by power and wealth to the point where he no longer recognises himself, or his purpose.
This novel is one detailing a transformation. It reads as a collection of short stories, connecting to form an arc of one man’s journey. We join Hiram’s ex-wife, his children and step-children, his colleagues and media staff who follow his story. Each make their own judgements, but Hiram is the only one who can provide the truth.
McDowell touches on several heavy themes such as mass shootings, rape, suicide and euthanasia, which should be considered prior to reading. Some may find it insensitive or traumatic. However, none of the themes are delved into wholeheartedly. Instead they seem to exist solely for the plot, rather than representing any message or opinion. Hiram writes his memoir over the course of the book and I would argue that McDowell itself is this memoir. It is a record of his life and everything he experiences.
Initially, I was turned off by the seemingly haphazard layout of the novel. As I continued, however, they seemed to connect as fragments of one whole piece. The separate points of view are refreshing and introduce trains of thought other than Hiram’s. This is very effective in the first half of the novel as the Hiram that exists there is very self-centred and self-serving, with a thought-process that is tedious to follow. His daughter, a photographer named Sophie, is one of the prominent narrators and she represents everything that he is not. Her vibrant character provides hope that there must be some good in Hiram himself. The reader joins him in a search for this goodness, meeting a variety of people along the way. Each new character teaches Hiram a unique truth and lesson about life.
Unfortunately, the novel did not seem professionally edited. There were many grammatical and punctuational issues throughout. An example would be a character exclaiming that “this is you grandchild”, or another asking “we’re you scared?”. This was irritating and stalled my attention several times. Therefore, although I really enjoyed McDowell, I can only rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend particularly to an audience at a ‘quarter-life crisis’ or ‘mid-crisis’ stage in life, as it focuses heavily on change and internal searching. There are some adult scenes such as sex and the sensitive topics mentioned above, so it is not suitable for children or young teenagers. Anyone older may enjoy the novel.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like OrlaCarty's review? Post a comment saying so!