“The tension between them (was) like sticky residue inside of an unfinished breakup.” -Cave Dwellers
BOOK REVIEWS – NO. 6: The Cave Dwellers, by Christina McDowell
Written by Cece Scott
Book Reviews: No. 6: The Cave Dwellers, by Christina McDowell
“The tension between them (was) like sticky residue inside of an unfinished breakup.” -Cave Dwellers
I wish the ‘Author’s Note’ had been at the beginning of Cave Dwellers, so that I could have had a peek inside author Christina McDowell’s life before actually reading the book. McDowell’s personal background adds a layer of intriguing context to the backdrop of Cave Dwellers and provides such an extra and definitive layer to the story that the novel became that much more poignant once I understood that she had walked the path of the varied characters in the novel.
When McDowell was in college, her father, an associate of Jordan Belfort, (otherwise known as the infamous ‘Wolf of Wall Street’), was arrested for securities fraud, convicted and sentenced to five years in federal prison. In fact, McDowell’s father had stolen her social security number and left her in $100,000 worth of debt.
Let me repeat that…her father stole her social security number and left his own daughter in mammoth debt.
Armed with this knowledge and (albeit) unwanted experience, McDowell brings a lot to the table in the writing of Cave Dwellers. (The author details these experiences in her memoir, After Perfect).
Set in Washington, D. C., Cave Dwellers is centred on the machinations of the reality, (and unreality), that exists in the Capitol: old money families thirsting for not only more power but also enhanced positioning at the top of the social ladder; powerful senators having affairs with young and aspiring assistants, (think Bill Clinton and the Oval Office); white supremacists meeting in secret and enjoying the pleasures of the flesh behind the nonchalant doors of the Alibi Club; and the materialistic and envious posturing and shenanigans of the pseudo/nouveau rich who are nowhere near as rich as they want to be. Throw in their entitled but troubled kids and you end up with one hell of a read.
Oh… and did I mention the neighbours who were murdered and everyone is scrambling to cover their tracks?
I can hardly wait to pick up Christina McDowell’s memoir to make the experience of reading the Cave Dwellers full-circle complete.
Cece is the feature cover writer for several prestigious publications and is an informed, connected and enthusiastic book blogger at cecescott.com. Her first book, The Love Story, was published in 2019. Her second book will be coming out in the spring of 2021.
Cece is also working on a book of Daily Reflections for Auto Immune Condition Warriors.
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