Review of A Morphine Cathouse

[Park Cherri]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Morphine Cathouse" by David T Zwolinski.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Susie Parker, while completing her morning exercise, unexpectedly received a call from a childhood friend of her father, Jimmie-Paul Parker. Intrigued by this person's connection to her dad's past, Susie, who had never heard about her father's childhood, was surprised by the call. Jimmie-Paul grew up in Beaver County, Oklahoma, during the harsh times of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Many families lost their farms and livelihoods due to the devastating dust, with fatal consequences like dust pneumonia, tuberculosis, and suicide. Unfortunately, Jimmie-Paul's family was among those who suffered greatly from these challenges, with his mother battling tuberculosis and his father sinking into depression and mistreating his family.
 
Amidst the poverty-stricken town, there was one person who seemed unaffected: Clayton Ashton III. A wealthy young man, Clayton was the heir to a major financial institution and led a life of excess, indulging in smoking, drugs like morphine, heroin, and amphetamines, as well as alcohol. He also engaged in relationships with men of different ages. Clayton operated a private clubhouse called "The White Buffalo," where influential people like actors, businessmen, actresses, people in the movie industry, and embezzlers, to name a few, from various parts of the country secretly fulfilled their desires, using young children like Jimmie-Paul, his first true love, Dakota, and others by deceiving and enticing them or their guardians with money. The novel explores how these children can escape the grip of Clayton's influence.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Morphine Cathouse by David T. Zwolinski. Initially, I was captivated by the slow-building narrative, which made the story feel incredibly real. However, upon reexamining the description, I understood the fictional nature of the tale. The author's writing skills and unexpected plot twists impressed me. The book is narrated from a third-person perspective, shifting between the years 2007 when Dakota reached out to Susie, 1933 when Jimmie-Paul was still young, and 1938 when he fell prey to Clayton's manipulation. The novel powerfully depicts the struggles of impoverished individuals with limited options. For Jimmie-Paul, his focus was on providing for his sick mother and raising money to take her to California for treatment, where many people from the county had moved.
 
The story also emphasizes the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Clayton's belief that money could buy him immunity led to disastrous consequences. The novel served as a reminder that drugs do not solve underlying issues but only ruin lives. I appreciated the intriguing mystery surrounding the friendship between Jimmie-Paul and Dakota. Despite finding some errors, I still found the novel to be well-edited, and I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. One aspect I disliked was the use of unfamiliar English words, although they were used to depict the historical setting. A translation would have been helpful. Additionally, the novel lacked a warning about certain uncomfortable aspects, but it did not significantly impact my overall impression.
 
I recommend this novel to those seeking a compelling read. This has the theme of friendship, love, and poverty; however, it contains LGBTQ content, sexual content, frequent use of profanity, as well as depictions of drugs and alcohol, so readers sensitive to these themes should consider their preferences. The memoir of Jimmie-Paul hails from the 1930s, so some patience might be required to understand the language as unclear English words are used. This is also a short novel that you would really enjoy.
 

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A Morphine Cathouse
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[Sangeetha Kannan0605]

It was worth to read and story about Children who has locked in such bad situation is really happening now a days.

[Alexander Victoria]

Despite that this novel is a fictional type, I’m sure some of these events might have happened during the Great Depression; the rich taking advantage of the poor. I’ll love to read this.