3 out of 4 stars
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William H. Coles’ book McDowell is a whirlwind short fiction that was difficult to put down. McDowell takes you on a journey through the life of an arrogant surgeon, his prideful rise to fame and subsequent fall. Hiram McDowell does not take responsibility for hurting those around him as he seeks to advance his career. He sees them as a means to an end. In his eyes, they exist only to serve him in some way. Because of his lack of compassion for those closest to him, he unknowingly creates a dysfunctional family and many enemies.
The story addresses many facets of the human psyche such as longing for acceptance and appreciation, as well as the perceived need for self-improvement and the harsh self-criticism that comes with it. It also addresses the growth that comes with introspection, maturity and self-awareness. The reader can relate to the experiences and feelings of many of the characters and how life events may have affected them and molded them into who they had become. The author takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions from the very beginning.
William H. Coles did an excellent job of depicting each character. What I liked most was that I could get a real sense of the kind of person each character was, their geographical background and their defining features. The author also did a great job of keeping up the suspense. There was a surprise around every corner and a lot of “I didn’t see that coming!” moments. There was plentiful drama and adventure while lightly touching on political issues.
The authors writing style flowed well throughout most of the book and it seems to have been professionally edited. I found very few errors in the entire book. The few errors noted were spelling errors and misplaced or missing punctuation. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was an entertaining short read, but the ending could have been better. It didn’t seem to fit with the flow of the rest of the story. I felt like the author was in a hurry to finish it.
I deducted 1 star mainly because there were a lot of expletives and too much emphasis on the sexual encounters of the characters. The points the writer was making about human interactions could have been made without the detailed descriptions of the sexual encounters. It seemed like a lot of fluff to me. I recommend this short book to anyone over the age of 18 who is looking to pass some time or for quick entertainment. It would be a good read on a long plane ride or road trip.
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McDowell
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