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gracescanlon's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
As someone who grew up just across the river from DC and lived in the area for the first 24 years of my life and is also interested in politics and social justice, I went into this book with high hopes. It did not deliver.
Though I'll admit I shouldn't have been so optimistic, it wasn't solely my own expectations that led to my disappointment - and later, disgust - with this novel. The book itself promised so much. In theory, it sounds riveting: a family of the DC elite murdered, and the families' petty and not-so-petty squabbles, told mostly from the perspective of the children of families who've held power for generations.
Talk about false promises. Or maybe about falling so short of them that the actual results are hard to see from the heights the authors' promises took the reader.
First, the murder plot disappears pretty early into the story. A plot tangential to it emerges later, but overall (just like the rest of the story threads) it, too, isn't tied up by the end of the book. Second, every single character was unlikable. A small handful had some decent traits and/or sympathy-provoking storylines, but none of these significant enough to redeem any character in any capacity.
I don't just mean that the characters were bad people. There are plenty of characters in various media whom I adore, and who are also detestable people in their personalities and conduct. Those characters, though, have qualities that make them likable at the very least. They might be funny, or intelligent, or charming, or have a secret streak of a positive quality or qualities, like politeness or creativity. This was not the case for the cast of The Cave Dwellers. Not one of them had any character qualities that made up for how much they sucked as people. They weren't interesting, relatable, or even believable. So, reading this book felt like being forced to be a wallflower at a gathering of the worst, most boring people you’ve never met.
Third, despite the potential for a thrilling, emotional story, this book committed a cardinal sin of fiction: it was boring. How one could make a book that involved murder, politics, rich-people nonsense, and teenage partying boring is beyond me. And yet, this is the case here.
Another thing that bothered me was that most of the story was told, rather than shown. I know "show, don't tell" is the gospel of writing and has been for awhile now, but I know that telling is important in story, too, and that it can and often is a better choice than showing with certain story elements. However, the entirety of this book, it seemed, told the story instead of showing it. The Cave Dwellers read less like a novel and more like an apathetic journalist narrating a movie you're watching together with the sound muted.
Others have mentioned the on-the-nose messaging within the novel, so I'll let them have at it. Truthfully, I don't remember enough of the particulars about the clumsy messaging to comment further on it, so I won't.
Lastly, and to me most importantly, the last plot point in this novel was a suicide. Not only this, but the author was kind (/s) enough to provide a description of the corpse. This was immediately and immensely triggering for me, and I'm sure is and would be for many others. That description was unnecessary past the identification of who it was.
It felt like the book ended just when the other shoe was about to drop, so that was disappointing - a disappointing end to a boring, upsetting book.
Though I'll admit I shouldn't have been so optimistic, it wasn't solely my own expectations that led to my disappointment - and later, disgust - with this novel. The book itself promised so much. In theory, it sounds riveting: a family of the DC elite murdered, and the families' petty and not-so-petty squabbles, told mostly from the perspective of the children of families who've held power for generations.
Talk about false promises. Or maybe about falling so short of them that the actual results are hard to see from the heights the authors' promises took the reader.
First, the murder plot disappears pretty early into the story. A plot tangential to it emerges later, but overall (just like the rest of the story threads) it, too, isn't tied up by the end of the book. Second, every single character was unlikable. A small handful had some decent traits and/or sympathy-provoking storylines, but none of these significant enough to redeem any character in any capacity.
I don't just mean that the characters were bad people. There are plenty of characters in various media whom I adore, and who are also detestable people in their personalities and conduct. Those characters, though, have qualities that make them likable at the very least. They might be funny, or intelligent, or charming, or have a secret streak of a positive quality or qualities, like politeness or creativity. This was not the case for the cast of The Cave Dwellers. Not one of them had any character qualities that made up for how much they sucked as people. They weren't interesting, relatable, or even believable. So, reading this book felt like being forced to be a wallflower at a gathering of the worst, most boring people you’ve never met.
Third, despite the potential for a thrilling, emotional story, this book committed a cardinal sin of fiction: it was boring. How one could make a book that involved murder, politics, rich-people nonsense, and teenage partying boring is beyond me. And yet, this is the case here.
Another thing that bothered me was that most of the story was told, rather than shown. I know "show, don't tell" is the gospel of writing and has been for awhile now, but I know that telling is important in story, too, and that it can and often is a better choice than showing with certain story elements. However, the entirety of this book, it seemed, told the story instead of showing it. The Cave Dwellers read less like a novel and more like an apathetic journalist narrating a movie you're watching together with the sound muted.
Others have mentioned the on-the-nose messaging within the novel, so I'll let them have at it. Truthfully, I don't remember enough of the particulars about the clumsy messaging to comment further on it, so I won't.
Lastly, and to me most importantly, the last plot point in this novel was a
It felt like the book ended just when the other shoe was about to drop, so that was disappointing - a disappointing end to a boring, upsetting book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
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