Cavedweller

Cavedweller is the next book on the A shelf of the library. It is written by Dorothy Allison. I would classify this book as feminist literature. If you watch Lifetime television, then you have probably seen a movie similar to this book. No, Lifetime has not made the movie version of this book, but they have made countless similar movies. You know the kind. All men are evil, women the victims.

The reason I actually finished this book was because I liked the beginning. The character of Delia is widowed from her second husband and wants to go home, back to where she started. Her life is a wreck, her abandoned children don't know her. On top of that she is a recovering alcoholic.

I like the concept of going home, a place to draw strength and inner peace. She starts a business. She gets her children back. She stays sober. It sounds great right? In this case, Delia doesn't find that strength or peace. Life is never so easy. Her children do not really benefit by living with her. She may have found stability in life, but no true peace.

The author does have some skill. She is able to shift from one character's story and inner workings to another seamlessly. The problem is that it leaves the story unfocused. What is it all about? Is there a point? Is there any hope for the characters? The answer is that the story doesn't offer much hope or any real point. The title Cavedweller references Delia's daughter Cissy. Cissy takes up the hobby of spelunking. Supposedly this hobby helps Cissy find herself. But after she finds herself and makes a great achievement, it amounts to nothing.

I don't know that I can actually recommend this book to anyone. It is a rough story with rough characters. It is actually depressing. If it were a movie, it would be rated R. With some clever editing, it could even end up on Lifetime Television. In the end, save yourself grief and skip this one.

Book rating: 0 stars, definitely belongs in the garbage.

This link is not a recommendation to read this book. But if you are curious, you can read reviews by others who disagree with me.