Review of McDowell

[Aloe Crane]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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McDowell, by William H. Coles, is a book about Hiram McDowell. Hiram is not a good guy, nor do we see evidence that he is anything contrary. Hiram McDowell is calculative, cruel, and self-absorbed. He falls from grace after angering too many people. Soon after being imprisoned, he escapes and finds himself on a journey to redeem himself.

I was very surprised by this novel! By the end of each chapter, I was certain that the story had ended. The author proved me wrong time and time again, and he made this novel surprising and thought-provoking. There were a lot of good points to McDowell - both as a character and as a novel. Not only were the characters varied and realistic, but Hiram McDowell was such a complex character. We are introduced to Hiram in chapter 1, though he is not a good person. He leaves behind a dying friend on a snowy mountain, but with good reasons. As far as we're aware, his friend was not going to survive, but seeing Hiram's calculative personality goes to show how easily he could be regarded as cruel. The contrast between this Hiram and the end-of-the-book Hiram really goes to show how much the author wanted to redeem him. McDowell is a story about imperfection, and it dares to show us how people can change.

Truthfully, I could find nothing wrong with McDowell. The entire story was written so well that I never expected what was going to happen. Not only were the characters written well, but I also enjoyed seeing the way the story was ingeniously written. By the end of the book, we lose Hiram's perspective in the story. We are supplemented with the perspectives of those around him, but we don't seem to know much about him if he didn't write it in his diary. For this reason, I am led to believe that William H. Coles purposefully left out Hiram's point of view.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because I was deeply entertained by this story. The concepts felt original, and I liked Hiram.

I would not recommend this to anyone that dislikes a lot of emotional turmoil. There are a lot of conflicting and philosophical ideas, such as who deserves to live or die. I would recommend McDowell to anyone that likes these things, as well as the downfall and redemption of a villain.

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McDowell
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[David Samanthaa]

was thoroughly impressed by "McDowell." The plot is intricate and well-paced, keeping me engaged from start to finish. The moral dilemmas faced by McDowell are relat