A review by chirson
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
3.0
Objectively, this is probably a terrible novel. It's terrible in some ways, without a doubt. It is overlong and oddly paced. It is repetitive. Its omniscient narration justifies and excuses a lot about behaviour with biological, reductionist evo-psych mumbo-jumbo. It is, if not explicitly racist, then at least enamoured of whiteness: its racially-ambiguous Neanderthals function as a darker, "primitive," maladapted backdrop against which the whiter-than-white, blue-eyed, blonde-haired, highly intelligent heroine can stand out all the starker. And the less said about its representation of rape, the better - it is very much an old-fashioned and offensive plot device here, serving to show who the villain and who the saintly martyred heroine is.
At the same time, even now, reading it as an adult with much more advanced critical skills, I cannot help being engrossed in the story. It is an old narrative structure of heaping misfortunes upon the heroine to turn her into a diamond of womanhood, and I see all that's wrong with it, and yet it's just so, so compelling to read. In addition, Ayla, for all her obvious narrative not-like-other-girlness (which, granted, is a story fact - not many homo sapiens girls get raised by Neanderthals!), is relatively complex and granted a lot of agency. She discovers paternity and sexual basis of reproduction! She modifies hunting techniques! She designs a bra! (Yes, she is a beautiful, slim, tall, large-bosomed blonde doctor, a character with superpowers beyond what she could feasibly have. My teen self forgives her for being too perfect, and my 30+ year old self does, too.)
The story has some really silly or annoying tendencies, but it also features some truly interesting plot twists or narrative climaxes. I found the last hundred or so pages quite tough to read (what with protagonist's depression and sadness of the story) but the conclusion is rendered quite well. The conflict is resolved in a way that is both seemingly inevitable and satisfying. I particularly liked that Oga and other secondary characters (like Brun and Creb) got to experience some narrative growth by the end.
If I had specific shelves for this, I'd rank this "so bad it's good". Sort of. If you close one eye.
And now I'm off to read my favourite volume. The one with all the domestication of animals and solitary living. YES.
At the same time, even now, reading it as an adult with much more advanced critical skills, I cannot help being engrossed in the story. It is an old narrative structure of heaping misfortunes upon the heroine to turn her into a diamond of womanhood, and I see all that's wrong with it, and yet it's just so, so compelling to read. In addition, Ayla, for all her obvious narrative not-like-other-girlness (which, granted, is a story fact - not many homo sapiens girls get raised by Neanderthals!), is relatively complex and granted a lot of agency. She discovers paternity and sexual basis of reproduction! She modifies hunting techniques! She designs a bra! (Yes, she is a beautiful, slim, tall, large-bosomed blonde doctor, a character with superpowers beyond what she could feasibly have. My teen self forgives her for being too perfect, and my 30+ year old self does, too.)
The story has some really silly or annoying tendencies, but it also features some truly interesting plot twists or narrative climaxes. I found the last hundred or so pages quite tough to read (what with protagonist's depression and sadness of the story) but the conclusion is rendered quite well. The conflict is resolved in a way that is both seemingly inevitable and satisfying. I particularly liked that Oga and other secondary characters (like Brun and Creb) got to experience some narrative growth by the end.
If I had specific shelves for this, I'd rank this "so bad it's good". Sort of. If you close one eye.
And now I'm off to read my favourite volume. The one with all the domestication of animals and solitary living. YES.