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

McDowell by William H. Coles is the story of Hiram McDowell, a famous, wealthy surgeon who is also the founder of a charitable medical foundation in Nepal. While those not in his inner circle are impressed by his list of credentials, surgical skills and good works, his family and business colleagues know he’s not to be trusted. Underneath the veneer of benevolence is an arrogant, self-serving man. When he’s proven to be a fraud and a criminal, McDowell is completely nonplussed. Forced into hiding among the lower class, he begins to consider what it means to be human.

Hiram McDowell is a man who goes through life without seeming to understand that other people are people. He makes promises as if the words are no more than command prompts to access a tool that happens to be a human being, like giving Amazon’s voice-controlled Alexa a command. If a lie serves the current need, Hiram tells it with no more concern than one would give turning a knob to open a door. Hiram’s children are the only ones he loves, though he doesn’t do that well either. He does many good things for them but never bothered to be there for them personally.

When he’s accused of a felony, he knows enough to try to cover it up, but he believes the things he’s done are merely what needed to be done. If others can’t see his logic, they obviously aren’t thinking clearly. Events lead him to spend time in hiding among the sort of people he’s never associated with before, a world of people who never had the luxury of snapping their fingers and barking out a command to get what they need. He starts connecting with people, learning how we each affect others in ways that can be wonderful or devastating. It’s a very difficult path for him – he seems to be afflicted with Asperger’s in my opinion – but it opens up a new world and a new way of thinking to him.

I enjoyed this quite a lot. The first things that happen show how detestable this man is, but it also lets us into his way of thinking enough to realize he may not have the capacity for humanness that we expect from others. He’s so disconnected that instead of only hoping he ‘gets what’s coming to him’, I was hoping he’d be able to understand how to be human and connected. There was no inference that Hiram is on the autism spectrum but it sure seemed like it to me.

4 out of 4 stars. This is not an action-packed thriller so it’s not for readers looking for that, even though there is a lot happening. Much of the action is important for psychological reasons instead of physical suspense. It raises plenty of questions about society, so it’s perfect for anyone with interest in personal and cultural psychology. I disliked the casual lesbianism (nothing graphic) and did find a few errors in punctuation and misuse of words, but not enough to make me lower the rating. It’s a good book and I recommend it.

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McDowell
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Like Amanda Deck's review? Post a comment saying so!

Yes, in the first part of the book McDowell was so callous and conceited I almost stopped reading it. He, or was it the author?, also objectionalized women. Thanks for the well written review.

Thank you for the reply. I think he treated everyone as objects, to the point that I got the feeling he's not so much evil as missing something in his makeup. Sure doesn't help the people who have to deal with him. It surprised me that he was capable of loving his children, even to the degree he did. He had to double-check once with himself to make sure that's what he was feeling, so yes, this guy has problems for sure.

Coles' exploration of the moral complexities of the medical profession is both timely and necessary.

This seems like an intriguing book. It may allow us to see how different someone can act and think. I do wonder about his own upbringing or past trauma, as well as underlying personality disorders. It would be interesting for those that love psychology, I agree. Thanks for a wonderfully written review!