Review for McDowell by William H. Coles

Who determines the worth of a person? Is it ourselves, our peers, or the law? The titular character that William H. Coles has created in McDowell seems to be trying to answer this question for himself as the novel progresses. Not only does Hiram McDowell’s self-perception shift, so does the opinion of his family, his colleagues, and society at large. But whether that shift was enough ended up being my own question as a reader.

A world-renowned surgeon, Hiram has a world-sized ego to match at the beginning of the novel. He is a misogynistic, neglectful father and the most apathetic doctor I have ever heard of. The opening scene has Hiram not only leave two members of his climbing expedition behind to die on Mount Everest, he rifles through one of their jackets to steal supplies while the man is pleading for help.

I do appreciate the fact that the author was able to write a character as capable of evoking strong emotions as Hiram. The author is also able to thread multiple character perspectives into a mostly cohesive narrative across multiple locations. However, the only character that has any growth is Hiram, and even that is handled in a way which made me feel robbed as a reader.

At the literal middle of the novel, a personal choice takes all of the accolades, climbing trips, and money that Hiram holds dear away from him. Hiram goes to trial, goes to jail, gets beaten up there, and escapes all on a single page of text that spans two years. We don’t get a true transformation so much as a chute. One Hiram goes in, and an entirely new Hiram tumbles out. Except the new one is still self-centered and still treats women like things. The topic of Hiram’s redemption is also questionable because he doesn’t use his new perspective as a fugitive to try to be a better man or father. He uses it to write a memoir explaining exactly why he doesn’t deserve his current situation because he is right, and everyone else is wrong.

The treatment of women is a sore point of this novel for me. I understand there is blatant misogyny present at the start because it is intended to offset the new-and-improved Hiram at the end. Yet there are more subtle instances that never go away. The author uses the format “woman [blank]” instead of “female [blank]” every time he describes a woman holding a profession. If a woman is single, she is automatically depressed and desperate for sexual attention. What attracts both Hiram and his son, Billie, is also telling. Women seem to only have value to them if they exhibit demure, subservient behavior and are pretty. Hiram’s thoughts about his own biological daughters in comparison to his son are often sexist. There is also an instance of Billie physically forcing one of his sisters to comply with his choice over her own.

Although decently edited, I do not think it was professionally done. I found more than a handful of errors consisting of missing commas, missing words, misspellings, and sentence fragments. These errors and the reasons described above, I personally found McDowell by William H. Coles something I wish I had skipped. However, readers who enjoy character studies, particularly ones that delve into the medical profession, might still find it worth the time.

I do not recommend this book to young or sensitive readers. In addition to language and descriptions of sex, there are a few other elements that can put off some readers. One of Hiram’s biological children enters into a sexual relationship with a step-sibling. A school shooting, attempted suicide, and euthanasia are also graphically described as is the aftermath of such violence.

McDowell by William H. Coles is available to buy on Amazon or you can visit the author’s website to find out more about this and their other works.