Review of McDowell

[Bruno Prince]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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William H. Coles' McDowell narrates the life of Hiram McDowell, a brilliant and ambitious surgeon who just so happens to be a polygamist. He has absolutely no consideration for other people's feelings and will stop at nothing to attain his goals. His life is spiraling out of control, and he is into his third marriage; he does not care. Finally, his life completely disintegrates to the point where he is thrown into jail. This forms the beginning of a journey that becomes saddening yet enlightening to Hiram.

Following the passing of his second wife, Sophie, the story's protagonist, Hiram McDowell, wed his third wife, Carole. She had two children, Tracy and Candace, prior to meeting Hiram. Therefore, the two married couples shared the parenting mandate for growing them up. Moreover, Hiram wanted to serve as the president of the highly reputed International College of Surgeons. He promised to stick by his friend Michael O'Leary while he followed his own star, but now things get complicated when Hiram's son Billie makes a huge mistake. I liked everything about this book.

The character that struck me most was Sophie. Within this novella, she went through a number of tests: the death of a close friend, her same-sex relationship, and low self-esteem problems. One could easily note that she grew throughout the story. On the other hand, I didn't like the way Hiram McDowell approached women. Treating them as an emotionless object showed his egoistic and arrogant nature, and all combined made him such a complex character in the way that he is repulsing yet interesting as a protagonist. Although there were a few grammatical problems, they didn't take away from how much I enjoyed reading this book.

"McDowell" proves to be a very interesting novel. The plot does not become too pornographic despite several personal situations and several times cursing. I was able to give it a five out of five stars to "McDowell" due to the exceptional plot that it possessed. More deeply, this book teaches us the lesson of how pride keeps us in danger and prepares a situation where we readily fall. In my opinion, this is a book that should be read by those who enjoy fiction and appreciate a good, fast-paced story with something to it.

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McDowell
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